By Nidhi Jacob
An old video alleging that the total votes counted by Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) in the Varanasi constituency during the 2019 Lok Sabha elections exceeded the total votes polled is being misrepresented on social media platforms as footage from the recent 2024 elections.
BOOM found that the video is false. We also found that the video went viral just before the 2024 Lok Sabha elections in April, and the Election Commission of India had refuted the claim on April 7, 2024.
The video claims that in the Varanasi constituency where Prime Minister Narendra Modi was running, 11 lakh people cast their votes, but the EVM machine counted 12,87,000 votes. This claim is being misrepresented as occurring in the recent elections.
"In Varanasi, Narendra Modi was contesting the election. 11 lakh people voted, but 12 lakh 87 thousand votes came out from the EVM machine. The EVM machine is a thief, and the Election Commission is the leader of the thieves," the caption in the video claimed.
(Original text in Hindi: "वाराणसी में नरेंद्र मोदी चुनाव लड़ रहे थे। 11 लाख लोगों ने वोट डाले। ईवीएम मशीन में निकले 12 लाख 87 हज़ार। ईवीएम मशीन चोर है, चुनाव आयोग चोरों का सरदार")
Here’s the link to the facebook post. Archive link.
Fact-check
BOOM found that the Election Commission of India (ECI) had refuted the claim, which circulated on social media before the 2024 elections.
The claim states a mismatch between the number of electors and votes polled in EVMs in the Varanasi constituency during the 2019 General Elections. On April 7, the ECI clarified that this claim is "misleading and fake."
The total number of electors in Varanasi during the 2019 Lok Sabha elections was 18,56,791. The total votes polled and counted in EVMs were 10,58,744, with an additional 2,085 postal votes, the ECI clarified on X.
BOOM cross-checked these numbers with the ECI's website and found them to be correct.
In the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, in Varanasi, PM Modi won by a margin of 1,52,513 votes or a vote share of 52.24%. The total number of electors in Varanasi was 19,97,578, as per the ECI.
The total number of EVM votes were 11,27,081 and postal votes were 3,062, amounting to 11,30,143 total votes, data from the ECI’s website show.
Further, BOOM found that the person in the video is Waman Meshram, President of the All India Backward and Minority Communities Employees Federation (BAMCEF). He is known to be critical of EVMs and has conducted protests against their alleged misuse by the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party. On January 31 this year, Meshram led a protest at the Central Election Commission office against EVMs, with thousands of people in attendance.
