Fact check: Voter ID cards of Samantha, Rakul Preet Singh and Tamannaah seen in the viral image are morphed
Tamannaah, Samantha and Rakul Preet Not Registered as Jubilee Hills Voters
Claim :
Image shows voter IDs of film actors Tamannaah, Samantha, and Rakul Preet Singh registered in the Jubilee Hills constituencyFact :
The viral posts are digitally morphed and false.
Preparations for the Jubilee Hills Assembly by-election are progressing swiftly. The first randomisation of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) and Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trails (VVPATs) has been successfully completed through the EVM Management System (EMS) in the presence of representatives from recognised national and state political parties. A total of 569 ballot units 569 control units and 610 VVPATs have been allotted to 407 polling stations across the constituency. These machines have now been securely stored in the respective strong rooms under official supervision.
The Election Commission of India (ECI) has also prohibited the conduct, publication or broadcasting of exit polls for this by-election between 7 am on November 6 and 6:30 pm on November 11, as per its October 13 notification. This ban applies to print, electronic, and digital media, including social platforms.
Meanwhile, fake news related to the Jubilee Hills by-election is spreading widely on social media. Some posts allege that the Congress has enrolled bogus voters. Alongside these, images claiming that Tollywood actors Rakul Preet Singh, Samantha and Tamannaah are registered voters in Jubilee Hills have gone viral.
Screenshot of the viral post on Instagram:
Here is the Screenshot of the Claim
Fact Check
The viral images are not genuine; they were edited and morphed.
The Jubilee Hills by-election is scheduled for November 11, with counting on November 14. The seat fell vacant following the death of BRS MLA Maganti Gopinath in June due to a heart attack. The ruling Congress has fielded V. Naveen Yadav, while the BRS has nominated Maganti Sunitha, Gopinath’s widow. The BJP candidate is Lankala Deepak Reddy.
The Telugu Post Fact Check team investigated whether the actresses had ever been registered as voters in Hyderabad. No credible media reports confirmed that they had exercised voting rights in the city.
Multiple reports show that Rakul Preet Singh voted in the 2024 Mumbai elections along with her husband Jackky Bhagnani in Bandra West.
Similarly, several videos show Tamannaah Bhatia casting her vote in Mumbai.
Visuals of Samantha voting along with her former husband Naga Chaitanya during the 2019 Telangana elections were also found.
Several Telugu media outlets also reported that the Election Commission took serious note of these fake voter ID cards circulating online.
Due to the viral circulation of these fake voter cards, election officials examined them and confirmed they were counterfeit. Jubilee Hills Assistant Returning Officer and Circle-19 Deputy Commissioner Rajinikanth Reddy stated that strict action would be taken against those responsible.
According to reports, the fake posts assigned the same house number — 8-2-120/4 — to all three actresses. Rakul Preet’s alleged EPIC number was “WKH4450729”, Samantha’s was “WKH4450946”, and Tamannaah’s card used the same number as Rakul’s. District Election Officer R.V. Karnan directed GHMC officials to investigate the matter, and a formal complaint has been lodged with the Cybercrime Police to trace the origin of these posts
Tamannaah Bhatia, Samantha Ruth Prabhu and Rakul Preet Singh are not registered voters in the Jubilee Hills constituency. The viral images showing their voter IDs are digitally morphed and fake.
