A Twitter user, Krishna Mohan Sharma, posted two images: one features BJP President Amit Shah and UP CM Yogi Adityanath at a dais in a rally, while the other showed empty chairs in an open field. The message posted along with the photographs said, “वाराणसी : नाश्ते का पैकेट कुर्सियों पर रखा होने के बावजूद जनता नहीं आयी चेहरे की मायूसी बता रही है अमित शाह और योगी सोचने पर मजबूर हैं। (Varanasi: Despite the food packets placed on the chairs, people didn’t show up. Disappointment on the faces of AmitShah and Yogi tells the story that they are compelled to think. -translated)”. The post suggests that people refrained from participating in a Shah-Yogi rally, even though food packets were placed on the chairs to lure them. This tweet by Sharma, who identifies himself as a former NSUI coordinator, has garnered nearly 1,000 retweets. AAP MLA Alka Lamba was among those who had retweeted Sharma’s tweet.

@Pooja_pandit also posted the images with an identical message, which has amassed more than 700 retweets.

National Executive Member of Samajwadi Party Preeti Chobey had also tweeted the same with a similar message.

Old images

Upon reverse searching the image with empty chairs, Alt News found that the image is originally from 2018. Amit Shah and Yogi Adityanath were seen sharing a dais at the launch of BJP’s “Yuva Ugdosh” programme in a rally at Varanasi.

A photo story published by Amar Ujala on January 21, 2018, also said that not only the leaders but the administration and police also seemed concerned about the empty chairs. A video report by News Tak has been posted below.

Many other individuals on Twitter and Facebook have shared the images with the same text.

In conclusion, old images of a Shah-Yogi rally with empty chairs were shared on social media as recent.

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About the Author

Jignesh is a writer and researcher at Alt News. He has a knack for visual investigation with a major interest in fact-checking videos and images. He has completed his Masters in Journalism from Gujarat University.