A brief 14-second video featuring actress Samantha Ruth Prabhu is making the rounds on social media platforms, claiming that Samantha is endorsing the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) for the upcoming Assembly elections in Andhra Pradesh. In the video clip, Samantha is heard saying, “I am your Samantha. Vote for Development. Cast your vote for the Cycle symbol.” This snippet is repeated multiple times throughout the short duration of the video. The Cycle symbol is associated with TDP, which is participating in the Andhra Pradesh elections in alliance with the Jana Sena Party, led by actor-politician Pawan Kalyan.
A Facebook user posted with a caption: “I am your Samantha .. Vote for development. Your vote is for cycle symbol.. Jai Telugu Desam.. #TDPWillBeBack #NaraChandrababuNaidu #NaraLokesh #HOPEAGMT6816 #iTDPforTDP”
Here is the link to the above post.
FACT CHECK
NewsMobile fact-checked the viral post, and found it to be misleading.
Running a Reverse Image Search of the video keyframes, the NM team identified an X-post with a similar clip dated April 09, 2019. The caption reads: #VoteForCycle🚲 @Samanthaprabhu2✌🏻. It suggests that the video is old.
The video that’s gaining traction online deliberately excludes a crucial segment from 0:02 to 0:10 of the original footage. In this portion, Samantha mentions Repalle and Anagani Satya Prasad. The remaining content is then edited to falsely imply her endorsement of the TDP for the upcoming elections.
With a keyword search, our team found an article by The Hindu, dated April 10, 2019, examining the original video where Samantha endorsed TDP candidate Anagani Satya Prasad. According to the report, though she had not shared the clip on her official social media handles, it gained significant traction in 2019 through other online platforms, featuring comments from social media users. They have questioned Samantha’s decision not to officially release the video and expressed interest in understanding her association with Anagani as well as the motivations behind her endorsement.
Meanwhile, a tweet by Samantha replying to a user on X says that Anagani is a ‘family friend’ and that she knows Anagani through his sister Dr Manjula Anagani, who is the co-founder of a non-governmental organisation — Pratyusha Foundation. According to The Hindu report and the NGO’s official website, Pratyusha Foundation was founded by Samantha in February 2014.
Thus, it is clear that Samantha has not lent her support to any political party for the upcoming Andhra Pradesh elections. Thus, a 2019 video featuring Samantha Prabhu endorsing a TDP candidate is misleading.
If you want to fact-check any story, WhatsApp it now on +91 11 7127 9799
Error: Contact form not found.
