By: Ishita Goel
May 6 2024
Image doesn't show President Murmu joining PM Modi for his Lok Sabha poll nomination
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A screenshot of a social media post claiming Droupadi Murmu accompanied Narendra Modi when he was filing nomination papers for Lok Sabha elections 2024.(Source: Facebook/Modified by Logically Facts)
Fact-Check
The Verdict Misleading
The image, from 2022, shows Prime Minister Modi accompanying Droupadi Murmu as she filed her nomination papers for the NDA presidential candidacy.
Claim ID 9dfdbd4d
What is the claim?
An image featuring Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Droupadi Murmu, along with other Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) members, has been circulated online. The claim accompanying this image is that President Murmu was present with Modi when he filed his nomination papers for the Lok Sabha elections in 2024.
The image was shared on social media with the caption, "Can the President accompany a Lok Sabha candidate to file their nomination? The country is heading towards servitude." The archived posts can be found here and here.
Screenshots of the viral posts on social media. (Source: X/Modified by Logically Facts)
What are the facts?
Upon conducting a reverse image search, it was discovered that the image (archived here) originated in 2022. Modi posted this image on a social media platform (formerly known as Twitter) on June 24, 2022, with the caption, "Earlier today, accompanied leaders from various parties for the filing of nomination papers of Smt. Droupadi Murmu Ji."
Murmu (archived here) also shared this post on June 25, with the caption, "Thank You For Support."
The Hindu published this image on June 24, 2022, with the caption, "Prime Minister Narendra Modi hands over the nomination papers of NDA's presidential candidate Droupadi Murmu, at Parliament House, in New Delhi on June 24, 2022." The report also noted the presence of other NDA (National Democratic Alliance) members like Anupriya Patel of the Apna Dal, Rajiv Ranjan Singh of the Janata Dal (U), and AIADMK leaders Thambidurai and O Panneerselvam.
The image depicts Modi filing Murmu's papers, contrary to the claim made in the viral posts. It should be noted that Modi has not yet filed his nomination papers.
Modi's nomination
Modi, who contested the 2014 and 2019 Lok Sabha elections from the Varanasi constituency in Uttar Pradesh, is likely to do so again this year. BJP's Varanasi president, Vidyasagar Rai, said on May 5, 2024, that Modi might file his nomination papers on May 14. Varanasi will vote in the seventh phase of the Lok Sabha elections 2024, on June 1, and the last day for filing nominations is May 14.
It's worth noting that it's not uncommon for prime ministers to accompany presidential candidates when they file their nominations. In 2017, Modi accompanied then-President Ram Nath Kovind when he submitted his nomination. On June 23, 2017, Modi shared an image (archived here) with Kovind, captioned, "Accompanied Shri Ram Nath Kovind, who filed his nomination papers today. Leaders from all over India joined the occasion."
Similarly, in 2002, APJ Abdul Kalam was accompanied by Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee when he filed his nomination for the presidential election. The Times of India reported that on June 18, 2002, Kalam filed his nomination for the presidential election, and Vajpayee, along with Home Minister LK Advani, External Affairs Minister Jaswant Singh, Defence Minister George Fernandes, Orissa Chief Minister Naveen Pattanaik, Andhra Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu, and Samajwadi Party leaders Mulayam Singh and Amar Singh, were present.
The verdict
The claim that President Droupadi Murmu accompanied Prime Minister Narendra Modi when he was filing his nomination is misleading. The circulated image is from 2022 and shows PM Modi accompanying Murmu, then the NDA Presidential candidate, to file her nomination papers. Therefore, we have marked this claim as misleading.