During the November elections in Jharkhand state, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of India sought to regain control. A video began circulating on social media that falsely depicted BJP politician Shivraj Singh Chouhan reprimanding a fellow party member. In reality, the footage showed Chouhan criticizing the opposition alliance that governs Jharkhand.
A Hindi-language Facebook post shared the video on October 4, 2024, with the caption “Shivraj Singh Chouhan’s big attack on Chief Minister Mohan Yadav.” The video featured Chouhan condemning “power brokers” who have negatively impacted children’s futures, although the text overlaid on the video incorrectly claimed he was targeting Mohan Yadav.
Chouhan had been replaced by Yadav as chief minister of Madhya Pradesh, a BJP stronghold state, following the November 2023 elections. He was subsequently appointed as the minister of agriculture to address widespread farmers’ protests and as the BJP’s election-in-charge for Jharkhand.
Further investigation revealed that Chouhan’s statement in the video was directed towards opposition leaders in Jharkhand, not Yadav. A longer version of the video was found on Chouhan’s official social media account, where he criticized the coalition government of JMM and Congress for neglecting the welfare of Jharkhand’s children.
The BJP is aiming to regain control of Jharkhand from the JMM-led alliance government in the upcoming November elections. Chouhan’s message emphasized the importance of protecting the land, livelihood, and daughters of Jharkhand. At no point in the video did he mention Yadav. Indian news agency Indo-Asian News Service also shared footage of Chouhan’s remarks on social media.