Did PM Narendra Modi Praise Ballot Papers Over Voting Machines? A Fact-Check

A clipped video of PM Modi’s 2016 speech has been shared with false claims. The full video actually shows PM Modi praising Indians for using EVMs.

What’s the claim?

A video of Prime Minister Narendra Modi delivering a speech is circulating on social media, claiming that he advocated for ballot papers over Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) before coming to power in 2014.

In the 30-second clip, PM Modi is heard saying in Hindi, translating to, “Our country is poor; our people are illiterate; they don’t know anything. Brothers and sisters, even the educated countries of the world… when elections are held, they read the name on the ballot paper and then stamp it… even today… even in America.” The video also features Hindi text at the top that reads, “Bring ballot paper, save the constitution,” with “our country” written at the bottom.

An X user shared the video with the caption, “Elections should be conducted using ballot papers rather than EVMs. Even the people of America use ballot paper not EVMs. -Narendra Modi before 2014.” Archives of the posts can be found here, here, and here.

The video has also been shared on Facebook with the same narrative; the archives are available here and here.

The claim arises in the context of recently concluded elections in India and allegations that an EVM, a device used to electronically record and count votes cast, can be tampered with. Opposition politicians have often raised concerns around EVMs and demanded that they be replaced with ballot papers. Most recently, the Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA), a political alliance in the western Indian state of Maharashtra which was defeated in the Assembly polls, raised concerns about the possible manipulation of EVMs and asked for a return to ballot papers. However, PM Modi has indicated his support for the continuation of EVMs and attacked those in the opposition questioning them, saying they are creating a distrust in them.

However, this video is a clipped segment from PM Modi’s 2016 speech in Moradabad, a city in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, and has been shared out of context. In the entire speech, PM Modi actually praised India’s use of EVMs and contrasted this with advanced countries like the US, which still use ballot papers for elections.

What did we find?

A reverse image search of a keyframe from the viral video led us to an X post (archived here) by the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) verified account, dated December 3, 2016. The post carried a Hindi caption, which translates to, “The faster poverty is eradicated from bigger states, the faster the country will progress.”

The post features an image of PM Modi speaking at a public event, with a podium adorned with flowers and a banner reading in Hindi “Parivartan Maharally” (Mega rally for change) and the date December 3, 2016. In the image, PM Modi is wearing an orange sleeveless jacket over a white kurta, and security personnel in black sunglasses stand in the background. PM Modi’s attire matches what he is wearing in the viral clip, and the positioning of the flowers on the podium is also the same.

Taking a cue from this, we found the full video (archived here) streamed live on December 3, 2016, on PM Modi’s official YouTube channel. Titled “PM Modi at Parivartan Rally in New Moradabad, Uttar Pradesh,” the video is one hour, three minutes, and thirty-four seconds long. PM Modi begins his speech at 17:55 seconds, and the viral segment appears between 55:10 and 55:39 seconds mark.

In his speech, PM Modi highlighted the work done by his government and party for the public. He stated how Indians increasingly use digital platforms for everyday tasks like banking and payments.

Immediately after this, the viral segment appears, in which PM Modi says that some people claim India is poor and uneducated and that its people know nothing. He counters this by pointing out that even highly educated countries, like the US, still use ballot papers during elections. He adds that in India, which some call “poor and uneducated,” people know how to press buttons to cast their votes, prompting applause from the audience. He goes on to say, “Don’t underestimate the strength of Indians. Once they understand the honest way, even the poorest Indians will lead the country forward.”

The longer version of the speech makes it clear that PM Modi was criticizing those who call Indians uneducated. He actually praised India’s use of EVMs and highlighted the contrast with countries like the US, which still use ballot papers for elections.

A December 2016 BJP press release also highlighted that PM Modi, during his speech at the Parivartan Rally in Moradabad, praised India’s use of EVMs. The release stated that PM Modi compared India’s EVM usage to the US’s continued use of ballot papers and highlighted India’s digital progress through initiatives like Jan Dhan and widespread smartphone use.

Further, the speech was delivered in 2016, contrasting with claims that his remarks had come before Modi became prime minister of India in 2014.

The verdict

A clipped video of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s 2016 speech in Moradabad, Uttar Pradesh, was shared with false claims that he advocated for ballot papers over EVMs before coming to power in 2014. However, in the full video, PM Modi actually praised India’s use of EVMs and highlighted the contrast with advanced countries like the US, which still use ballot papers for elections.

(This story was originally published by Logically Facts, and republished by NDTV as part of the Shakti Collective)

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)