Lighthouse Journalism found a video being widely shared on social media platforms, where two people were seen campaigning on a JCB. Social media users claimed that Uttar Pradesh CM, Yogi Adityanath campaigned in Maharashtra on a bulldozer. During the investigation we found that the video is from Murtizapur and the man on JCB is not Yogi Adityanath but his look alike.
Claim:
X user Manoj Kumar shared the video on his profile with misleading claims.
Other users too are sharing the same claim.
Investigation:
We started the investigation by running a reverse image search on the keyframes obtained from the video.
We found one post on X that suggested that the person was dressed as Yogi Adityanath.
We also found one video report on the YouTube channel of Marathi news channel, ABP MAJHA.
The video suggested that a BJP MLA had brought a duplicate Yogi Adityanath for campaigning. Also, as per reports the video was from Akola in Maharashtra.
We then connected with an Akola based journalist, Karun Bhandarkar who informed us that the BJP MLA in the video was Harish Pimple from Murtizapur.
We then found a news report about his JCB stunt on a local news portal.
The report clarified that the person seen in the video was dressed like Yogi Adityanath and was not actually the UP CM.
We then contacted Harish Pimple on phone, another BJP worker, Jogdand Guruji spoke to us. He informed that the JCB stunt rally was done after UP CM Yogi Adityanath’s public address in Murtizapur.
Jogdand Guruji informed us that the guy seen dressed as Yogi Adityanath was a BJP worker. This happened because of the enthusiasm of the public and workers gathered at the venue.
Akola’s Loksatta correspondent, Prabodh Deshpande informed that the man dressed like Yogi Adityanath is a BJP worker, Santosh Dhule from Murtizapur.
Harish Pimple is contesting for Maharashtra Assembly elections from Akola’s Murtizapur from BJP.
Conclusion: Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath, did not campaign for a candidate from a bulldozer, the person seen in his get up is a BJP worker accompanying MLA and Murtizapur candidate Harish Pimple. Viral claim is misleading.
