Following the Maharashtra Assembly elections, two images, purportedly of India Today magazine covers targeting Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, have gone viral on social media.
Claim:
One cover, dated November 23, 2024, carries the headline “Maha-Raja Mishap” and the text, “Maharashtra slips away as Rahul Gandhi redefines leadership… again.” The second, dated December 2, 2024, has the headline “89 Not Out” and the subheader “The Curious Case of Rahul Gandhi’s Electoral Woes.” Archived versions of the posts can be seen here, here, here, and here.
The phrase “89 Not Out” alludes to the reported claim that Congress has lost 89 elections, including the Maharashtra Assembly polls, under Gandhi’s leadership.
The results of the Maharashtra Assembly elections, announced on November 23, revealed a decisive victory for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led Mahayuti alliance. This coalition, consisting of the BJP, the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena faction, and the Ajit Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), swept the state.
In contrast, the opposition alliance, Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA)—comprising the Congress, Shiv Sena (Uddhav Thackeray faction), and Sharad Pawar’s NCP—secured only 49 seats, with the Congress winning 16.
Our investigation, however, confirmed that the viral magazine covers attributed to India Today are not genuine.
Investigation:
A review of India Today’s magazine cover archive confirmed that no such covers were ever published.
India Today does not publish editions on Saturdays, making the alleged November 23, 2024, issue—dated on a Saturday—highly implausible. The actual issue released on Monday, November 25, carried the headline “STRESS AT WORK” and focused on workplace culture.
Similarly, the purported cover of the December 2, 2024, issue is also fake. The genuine issue for that date was titled “BEWARE THE NEW BIG CON,” highlighting cyber fraud.
Additionally, there is no record of a “Maharashtra election special” edition, as claimed in one of the fabricated images. The most recent cover on Maharashtra elections, published on November 4, 2024, bore the headline “THE MAHA BATTLE FOR SURVIVAL” and covered the Assembly polls.
India Today’s Fact Check Bureau also debunked these viral covers in its own investigation on November 25, confirming they were not produced by the publication.
Conclusion: India Today did not publish these viral magazine covers criticizing Rahul Gandhi over the Maharashtra Assembly election results. The images are doctored and misleading.
This fact check article was originally published by Logically Facts and has been republished by Lighthouse Journalism as a part of Shakti Collective.
