A fake opinion poll graphic has gone viral on social media, falsely claiming to predict the outcomes for political parties in the 90-member Haryana state assembly. This misleading post has caused confusion among voters.
Misleading Poll Claims False Results
The viral image falsely projects the Bharatiya Janata Party winning 26-36 seats, Congress securing around 40, and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) getting 20 seats in the upcoming Haryana elections. However, a fact-check by the Press Trust of India (PTI) revealed that no official opinion poll was conducted by Republic TV-Matrix, as falsely indicated in the graphic. The image, widely circulated online, was found to be fake and manipulated.
Origin of the Fake Graphic
Further investigation uncovered that the fake graphic, first posted on Facebook, had altered an original graphic from ETV Bharat, initially used for the 2024 Lok Sabha exit polls. The image was edited to appear as fresh data for the Haryana elections. Both Matrix News Communication and Republic TV have confirmed that they did not release any opinion polls related to the elections.
According to the PTI fact-check team, the viral opinion poll is fake and intended to mislead voters by presenting inaccurate information.
(With PTI inputs)