Fact Check: Is Screenshot Claiming BJP Has Appointed Prashant Kishor As National Spokesperson Real?

By OB Bureau On May 24, 2024

New Delhi: It all started after poll strategist and politician Prashant Kishor predicted a victory for Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP in an exclusive interview with NDTV on Tuesday. A screenshot claiming that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has appointed Prashant Kishor as their national spokesperson went viral on social media. The image shows a BJP letterhead claiming that party president JP Nadda has appointed Prashant Kishor as the party’s national spokesperson. Prashant Kishor’s party, Jan Suraaj, has issued a statement saying that the so-called BJP letter is fake.

Prashant Kishor’s party also hit out at the Congress, accusing its leader Jairam Ramesh of sharing the fake image. On its official X handle, Jan Suraaj shared a screenshot that they claimed proved that the document was shared by the senior Congress leader on WhatsApp.

“Look at the irony! Congress, Rahul Gandhi You all talk about fake news and claim to be the victims. Now see yourself how the head of Communications of Congress Party, Jairam Ramesh, apparently a senior leader, is personally circulating a fake document,” the party said in the post.

Look at the irony! @INCIndia, @RahulGandhi
You all talk about fake news and claim to be the victims. Now see yourself how the head of Communications of Congress Party, @Jairam_Ramesh, apparently a senior leader, is personally circulating a fake document.@delhipolice pic.twitter.com/NJFrKhznU9

— Jan Suraaj (@jansuraajonline) May 22, 2024

Kishor, who had worked with PM Modi and the BJP during the 2014 polls, said that the BJP’s tally in this election may hover around its 2019 score of 303 or better than it. He also credited the ruling party with shifting the election discourse from merely crossing the halfway mark to winning 370 seats in the Lok Sabha.

“In the last three-four months, the discussion has centred around ‘370’ and ‘400 paar’. Consider it a BJP strategy or Opposition’s weakness, but the BJP has entirely shifted the goalpost from 272 to 370. This has benefitted the BJP. Now, no one is saying Modi ji will lose, they are saying they may not get 370 seats,” said the poll strategist.