A photo claiming to show singer-turned-BJP candidate Maithili Thakur posing with Madhya Pradesh politician Manoharlal Dhakad is viral on social media.
BOOM found the image is edited, with the original photo showing a Bihar BJP leader standing behind Thakur, instead of Dhakad.
Thakur, a folk singer, recently joined the BJP and is contesting from Alinagar in the upcoming Bihar Assembly election. Dhakad, a local leader from Mandsaur, Madhya Pradesh, was in the news in May 2025 after a public obscenity incident on the Delhi–Mumbai Expressway, with the Congress alleging that he is a BJP worker.
The Claim
A Facebook user shared Thakur’s photo, where she is seen wearing a BJP stole, with a man behind her. The caption claimed that he is “Manoharlal Dhakad the highway guy". (archive)
What We Found
BOOM found the viral image is manipulated, with Dhakad's face being superimposed over that of Bihar BJP leader Amit Prakash.
- Press photos show the original scene: AajTak’s report from October 15, 2025 (photo credited to PTI) shows Maithili Thakur with Bihar BJP president Dilip Jaiswal, and behind her a BJP leader in the same attire seen in the viral image—not Manoharlal Dhakad.
- Matched visuals from another outlet: On October 14, 2025, Dainik Bhaskar’s official Facebook page posted multiple photos of Thakur’s induction where the same frame appears, again without Dhakad.
- Original posted by the person himself: The man in the original photo is Amit Prakash, Bihar BJP’s state co-convener for public relations. His Facebook page carries the unedited image, along with other photos from October 14, 2025 showing him in the same clothes with Thakur.
- Side-by-side comparison reveals manipulation: Comparing the viral image with the media photos and Prakash’s uploads shows a face replacement of Prakash with Dhakad, consistent with standard image-editing artifacts.
