Tejashwi and the controversial video: What really happened with Manoj Bajpayee

Deepfakes in Bihar Elections: Amidst the hustle and bustle of the Bihar Assembly elections, politics has now become a digital battlefield. The nomination process for the first phase is ending today, but a new storm has arisen on social media. A video of famous actor Manoj Bajpayee went viral, in which he is seen asking for votes for RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav. But when the truth came out, it was found that this video was fake, made with deepfake technology. An angry Bajpayee openly denied this on X, clearly saying, "I have nothing to do with any political party." This incident has sparked a new debate in the electoral environment of Bihar.

Fake Account Conspiracy in Tejashwi's Name

Tejashwi Yadav (@yadavtejashwi) is the face of RJD on social media, but many fake accounts are also running in his name. One such fake account, 'Tejashwi Yadav,' shared an edited video of Bajpayee, in which he was seen appealing to vote for RJD. The video, taken from a Prime Video project, was manipulated using deepfake tools and made viral. Tejashwi's real account disavowed the claim, but by then it had reached thousands of people. Bajpayee wrote on X, "This video is a violation of my personal rights. I appeal to everyone not to share such misleading content."

Not just Bajpayee, other stars targeted

This isn't the first case of deepfake in Bihar. Edited videos of Bhojpuri stars like Pawan Singh and Khesari Lal Yadav have also gone viral. One Bhojpuri actor said, "Our voices and faces are easily targeted. This is wrong." Social media users are enraged. One wrote, "Deepfakes mislead voters. The Election Commission should take strict action." Another said, "Manoj ji is the pride of Bihar; the misuse of his name is shameful."

Deepfakes rage amid political heat

Today is the last day of nomination. While Amit Shah will address the Enlightenment Conference in Patna, PM Modi has 10 programs scheduled. But deepfakes gave a new turn to politics. Both NDA and RJD have condemned it. Experts say that AI tools and strict laws are needed to deal with deepfakes. The voters of Bihar are now alert, but the question is—will the digital war suppress the real issues?