Fact Check: BJP winning Delhi Polls due to Muslim vote split? Kapil Mishra’s viral clip is doctored
Claim: The video shows BJP candidate Kapil Mishra stating that they are confident of winning Muslim-majority seats due to vote division in Delhi.
Fact: The video has been edited. In the original footage, Mishra is seen criticising AAP and reminding people of the 2020 Delhi riots.
As Delhi votes in the 2025 Assembly elections on January 5, a video clip of BJP leader Kapil Mishra, contesting from the Karawal Nagar constituency, has been circulating on social media.
In the clip, Mishra can be heard saying, “Today, we are winning even in Muslim-majority seats. I say with full confidence that Owaisi Sahab is cutting into Kejriwal”s votes, Congress is doing the same, and Muslim votes are getting divided. I want to tell you that once the Muslim vote is split, we will form our government.”
An X user shared the video with the caption, “Along with the people of Delhi, the rest of the country's Muslims should also understand this: #IfYouDivideYouWillSuffer. Look, this is the same person who orchestrated attacks on Muslims in collusion with the police. If you still don’t understand, you will suffer.” (Archive)
Fact Check
NewsMeter found the claim false, as the viral video has been edited. The original video does not show Mishra talking about the division of Muslim votes due to Owaisi and Congress.
Upon analysing the video, we found that Mishra’s lip movements do not sync with the audio, suggesting that the video may have been edited.
Taking this as a cue, we checked Mishra's social media accounts and found a video live-streamed on his official Facebook account on January 23, 2025. The video shows Mishra addressing a public gathering in Khajoori Khas in Delhi’s Karawal Nagar.
In the video, Mishra appeals for votes while criticising the ten-year rule of Arvind Kejriwal’s AAP government in Delhi. The viral clip appears at the 9:00-minute mark. However, it does not show him claiming that the BJP is winning Muslim-majority seats due to vote division as seen in the viral video.
Instead, the video captures him speaking about the 2020 Delhi riots. He says, “Today, the people seeking your votes from the Aam Aadmi Party are introducing themselves as close aides of Arvind Kejriwal, Durgesh, and Manish Sisodia. But I want to ask you—today, they say, ‘I live right here in Khajoori, so vote for me.’ This is what they claim. But tell me, on the day your homes were set on fire, did they come to help you? What is the point of them living here if they were nowhere to be found when the rioters arrived? I want to remind the people of Khajoori, loud and clear.”
He then goes on to attack the AAP candidate, alleging that the latter was with the rioters at that time.
Here is a collage comparing the edited and original videos. Mishra’s hand gestures, a person talking on the phone, and the camera’s panning are identical in both videos.
#FactCheck: As Delhi votes in the Assembly elections today, an edited video of BJP leader Kapil Mishra is circulating on social media. In the original footage, he is seen urging people not to vote for AAP.#DelhiAssemblyElection2025 pic.twitter.com/Z0hrQ32IVb
— NewsMeter FactCheck (@NewsmeterFacts) February 5, 2025
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Sujit Nair raises concerns over speculation of DMK-AIADMK understanding to block TVK
Chennai: Journalist and political commentator Sujit Nair has expressed concern over speculation that the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam could explore a post-poll understanding to prevent Vijay-led Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam from forming the government in Tamil Nadu.
In a social media post, Sujit Nair said the election verdict in Tamil Nadu reflected a clear public demand for political change and argued that the mandate should be respected irrespective of political preferences.
Referring to reports and political discussions surrounding a possible understanding between the DMK and AIADMK, he said he hoped such developments remained only speculative conversations and did not turn into reality.
Nair stated that if such an alliance were to take shape, it would raise serious questions about ideological politics in the country. He said TVK had emerged through a democratic electoral process and that the legitimacy to govern in a parliamentary democracy comes from the people’s verdict.
According to him, attempts to prevent an electoral winner from forming the government through unexpected political arrangements may be constitutionally valid, but many people could view them as politically opportunistic.
He further said that such a move could particularly affect the political image of the DMK, which has historically projected itself around ideology, social justice and opposition politics. Nair said that in ideological terms, the DMK appeared closer to TVK than to the AIADMK, and joining hands with its long-time political rival only to remain in power could weaken its broader political narrative.
He added that the same questions would apply to the AIADMK as well, as the party had spent decades positioning itself against the DMK and such an arrangement could create discomfort among its cadre and supporters.
Drawing a comparison with Maharashtra politics in 2019, Nair said he had expressed similar views when the Shiv Sena formed an alliance with the Indian National Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party after the Assembly elections.
He said post-poll alliances between long-standing political rivals often create a public perception that ideology and electoral mandates become secondary when political power equations come into play.
Nair also said such developments increase public cynicism towards politics and reinforce the belief among voters that ideology is often sidelined after elections.
He maintained that the Tamil Nadu verdict was emphatic and said respecting both the spirit and substance of the mandate was important for the credibility of democratic politics.
