Sanjeeb Phuyal is the Nepali Editor of Newschecker based in Kathmandu, Nepal. He brings over a decade of experience writing and editing news. In his previous stint, he worked as online editor for The Kathmandu Post. With the growth of social media platforms—and the ever-growing competition amongst media outlets to churn out breaking news, he feels that fact-checking every piece of information has become more essential today than ever before.
As Nepal conducted its elections to the federal House of Representatives and provincial assemblies on November 20, many unverified claims and misleading social media posts about Nepali politicians remarkably spiked around the election time. As a fact-checking media, Newschecker scoured the social media posts and trends especially on Facebook and TikTok to track down the fake news and false information linked with the candidates running for the elections. We found and debunked over a dozen videos and images being passed off among Nepali social media users with fake claims surrounding Nepal’s recently held elections. Purveyors of fake news pushed an array of misinformation ranging from Communist Party of Nepal-Unified Marxist Lenninist (CPN-UML) Chairman Oli saying ‘no need to vote for me’ to Rastriya Swatantra Party Chairman Rabi Lamichhane venting his ire at the people of Dadeldhura from where Nepal’s incumbent Prime Minister won the election with a huge margin despite the challenge by a young Oxford-educated Sagar Dhakal.
Here are the top claims fact-checked by Newschecker:
Video Claiming That CPN-UML Chairman Oli Said ‘No Need To Vote For Me’ Is False
A video carrying an image of Communist Party of Nepal-Unified Marxist Leninist (CPN-UML) leader KP Sharma Oli claimed that the UML Chairman said that “It is not necessary to vote for me [Oli] as I am ineligible to run the government. I couldn’t run the government when I received a two-thirds majority in the last elections.” Newschecker found the claim to be false and circulated by #NoNotAgain campaigners who were against the tendency of electing the same old faces in Nepali politics. Read more here.
Did Sujata Koirala Call For Kalapani To be Yielded to India? Here’s The Truth Behind The Viral Video
A video of Nepali Congress leader Sujata Koirala allegedly saying that Kalapani, a disputed territory along Nepal-India border, belongs to India and should be ceded to the latter, is being widely shared online. Newschecker found the claim to be false. Old video of Koirala speaking at parliament’s international relations committee has resurfaced with a misleading claim. Read more here.
Old Video of Prachanda Addressing A Mass Rally In Kathmandu Falsely Shared As Recent From Gorkha
A video purporting to depict CPN (Maoist Centre) Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal addressing a huge mass gathering in Gorkha district from where he won the recently held elections, was going viral on TikTok. Newschecker found that the video is seven years old and actually shows Dahal addressing a rally in Kathmandu. Read more here.
Clipped Video Of Gagan Thapa Saying ‘Congress Is Not Poor People’s Party’ Is Going Viral
A video of Nepali Congress (NC) General Secretary Gagan Thapa allegedly saying that Nepali Congress is not the party of poor people but of rich and affluent class is going viral among Nepali social media users. Newschecker found that the viral video is clipped. The fact is Leader Thapa was speaking about how his clipped speech is being circulated and telling the people to not fall for the rumour. Read more here.
2015 Video Falsely Shared As Recent Attack On Maoist Chairman Dahal In Gorkha
A video purportedly showing Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist Centre) Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal being safely escorted to a vehicle after he was attacked by the cadres of his own party in Gorkha district has gone viral. Newschecker found the claim to be false. The viral video is seven years old from Kathmandu. Read more here.
Viral Image of NC Leader Gagan Thapa Donning T-shirt Bearing Maoist Logo Is Edited
An image of Nepali Congress General Secretary Gagan Thapa and independent candidate Ranju Darshana along with two other men purportedly donning white T-shirts bearing the image of Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist Centre) Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal and his party’s election symbol, hammer and sickle, is being shared online. Those sharing the image claim that Thapa and Darshana are campaigning for Maoist leader Dahal and his party. Newschecker found the image to be edited. Read more here.
Bhim Rawal Is Denied A Party Ticket But Viral Video Falsely Appeals People To Vote For Him
A 27-second long video appealing people to vote for Bhim Rawal, who is allegedly running for a seat in the federal House of Representatives from Achham-1 in the upcoming election on Communist Party of Nepal-Unified Marxist Leninist (CPN-UML) ticket, has gone viral on TikTok, recently. Newschecker found the claim to be false. Rawal is not fighting any election this time, he was denied a ticket by his party. Read more here.
Facebook Post Falsely Claims Maoist Chairman Prachanda Attacked in Gorkha
A video allegedly from an event in Gorkha where Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist Centre) Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal was attacked has gone viral on Facebook. Newschecker found the viral footage actually shows a 2020 video from Kathmandu where a youth had hurled a shoe at Dahal during a political programme. Read more here.
Hoax Claiming Split Of Ruling Party Alliance And Prachanda Joining CPN-UML Viral On TikTok
A Video Claiming that the ruling alliance of Nepali Congress and Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist Centre) has split and Maoist Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal joined the Communist Party of Nepal-Unified Marxist Lenninist (CPN-UML) has gone viral on TikTok. Newschecker found the claim to be false and the footage was taken from a YouTube channel known for peddling fake news. Read more here.
Video Claiming To Show Rabi Lamichhane Venting Wrath At Dadeldhura Residents Is FalseA video showing newly elected Rastriya Swatantra Party Chairman Rabi Lamichhane passionately addressing a crowd. Text superimposed on the video reads, “Rabi Lamichhane venting his ire at the people of Dadeldhura.” The speech purported to have been delivered by Lamichhane is in Hindi. Newschecker found the claim to be false, and the video actually shows Lamichhane delivering a speech during his election campaign by using an audio clip from a Bollywood movie. Read more here.
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Sanjeeb Phuyal is the Nepali Editor of Newschecker based in Kathmandu, Nepal. He brings over a decade of experience writing and editing news. In his previous stint, he worked as online editor for The Kathmandu Post. With the growth of social media platforms—and the ever-growing competition amongst media outlets to churn out breaking news, he feels that fact-checking every piece of information has become more essential today than ever before.
