Fact Check: Multiple Old Videos Go Viral On Social Media, Claiming Vote Rigging

Claim: Votes are being cast illegally at various centres.
Fact: The circulating videos are old and created using AI.

The much-anticipated 13th National Parliamentary Election of Bangladesh was held on February 12, 2026. This election took place under the interim government, a year and a half after the July uprising. During the election period, several videos spread on social media alleging vote rigging. Some videos claim that votes were cast the night before election day, while others claim illegal stamping of ballots at centres. Watch the videos  (1, 2 & 3).

Newschecker has verified that the claims are false.

Fact-Check/Verification

To verify the authenticity of the viral videos alleging vote rigging, we initially conducted a reverse image search and key-frame search. Our investigation revealed that the videos are old, generated by artificial intelligence, and contain false claims.

Verifying Video 1: We noticed several inconsistencies. The video shows only one colour of ballot paper. In contrast, the 13th National Parliamentary Election of 2026 utilised two ballot papers: a pink ballot for the “Yes/No” referendum and a white ballot for the general election. Additionally, the “Boat” symbol (the electoral symbol of the Awami League) is visible on the ballots at the beginning of the video. However, the Awami League did not participate in the 13th National Parliamentary Election as the party was banned.

Therefore, it is confirmed that the video is not from the recent 13th National Parliamentary Election.

Verifying Video 2:

 We initially conducted a key-frame search to verify the authenticity of viral video 2. The search shows that the video is not recent. Through multiple searches, we found the same video in a 2024 post on a Facebook page named Feni Live. The video mentions that it is an incident from the Upazila election in Chhagalnaiya, Feni.

The video caption claims the individuals stamping the ballots are supporters of Mizan. By performing a keyword search, we found a relevant report from May 2024 on an online portal named Dainik Feni Somoy. According to the report, Mizanur Rahman Majumdar stood in the Upazila election held on June 5, 2024, in Chhagalnaiya, Feni, with the support of the AL.

Thus, digital footprints and reports confirm that the video of ballot stamping is not from recent times.

Verifying Video 3:

 Several inconsistencies, such as- if you notice the video closely, you will see the officers in the video were stamping on the empty table rather than on the ballots, were observed upon inspecting viral video 3. To check if the video was AI-generated, we verified it using multiple AI detection tools- Sightengine and Wasit AI. The AI detection tools confirmed that the videos are AI-generated and not authentic footage.

In other words, the claims made in the viral videos regarding vote theft are not true.

Conclusion

After verifying the authenticity of the viral videos claiming vote rigging through multiple methods, it is evident that the videos are either old or AI-generated. Therefore, the viral claims regarding vote theft are False.

Result: False

Our Sources:
Newschecker’s own analysis
Feni Live post, Dainik Feni Somoy
AI detection tools—Sightengine and Wasit AI.