Authors
Kushel HM is a mechanical engineer-turned-journalist, who loves all things football, tennis and films. He was with the news desk at the Hindustan Times, Mumbai, before joining Newschecker.
Pankaj Menon is a fact-checker based out of Delhi who enjoys ‘digital sleuthing’ and calling out misinformation. He has completed his MA in International Relations from Madras University and has worked with organisations like NDTV, Times Now and Deccan Chronicle online in the past.
Claim
A purported press release from the All India Congress Committee, stating that Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi will contest the Lok Sabha elections from the Raebareli and Amethi constituencies of Uttar Pradesh respectively.
The “circular” went viral amid reports of last-ditch attempts being made to convince the siblings to enter the fray as the Congress candidates for the Amethi and Raebareli seats, which are set to go to polls in the fifth phase of the elections on May 20. The last day for filing nominations is May 3.
Fact
Newschecker first ran a search for relevant news reports about the Congress announcing Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi as candidates for the two constituencies, which did not lead us to any credible articles. We then looked up the official social media handles of the party, which also did not throw up any posts.
We, however, did find two letters issued on April 30, 2024, as dated in the viral press release, which were issued by Congress general secretary KC Venugopal. One circular announced the candidates for four Lok Sabha seats in Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Maharashtra, while the other stated that Devender Yadav would be made the interim president of the Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee.
Newschecker noticed glaring differences between the letter and the viral circular, especially the typefaces, indicating that it was fake.
We then reached out to Congress spokesperson Supriya Shrinate, who confirmed that the viral circular is fake.
Also Read: Old Video From Telangana Shared As Rajputs Attacking BJP Workers In Gujarat
Result: False
Sources
Conversation with Supriya Shrinate, Congress spokesperson
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Authors
Kushel HM is a mechanical engineer-turned-journalist, who loves all things football, tennis and films. He was with the news desk at the Hindustan Times, Mumbai, before joining Newschecker.
Pankaj Menon is a fact-checker based out of Delhi who enjoys ‘digital sleuthing’ and calling out misinformation. He has completed his MA in International Relations from Madras University and has worked with organisations like NDTV, Times Now and Deccan Chronicle online in the past.
