Lok Sabha polls from 16 April? Date in viral note only for 'reference', says Delhi poll body

The Office of the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) in Delhi has issued a clarification regarding a letter that was circulated on social media, which was misinterpreted as an announcement of the general election dates for this year in India. This letter, originally an internal document, was intended for ‘reference purposes’ only.

The clarification comes after a note from the Delhi CEO office surfaced on social media, leading to speculation that the Lok Sabha elections were set to commence on April 16, 2024. However, the Delhi poll body has clarified that this date was merely a tentative reference.

Social media speculation over election dates

Dated January 19, 2024, the letter in question, signed by Assistant Chief Electoral Officer T. Misao, was addressed to District Election Officers across all 11 districts of the National Capital Territory of Delhi. Its primary aim was to outline various election-related activities and urge adherence to the timelines specified in the Election Planner. It mentioned April 16, 2024, as a provisional date for the purpose of planning and “to calculate ‘Start’ and ‘End’ dates in the Election Planner.”

The misinterpretation was fueled by several social media users on X (formerly Twitter), who shared the letter with misleading captions suggesting that the ECI had confirmed the Lok Sabha election dates.

Some accounts shared this letter with captions like, “Loksabha elections will be on 16.04.2023. #LoksabhaElections2024,” while others shared posts saying, “Lok Sabha elections tentative date 16/4/2024. This explains why ram was in a hurry to come to Ayodhya on 22 Jan 2024 (sic).” 

Another social media user shared the letter with the caption, “Tentative election date ke announcement ki timing waah kya kehne (Translation: Wow, what can be said about the timing of the announcement of the tentative election date).” 

Even Avi Dandiya, chief in charge of social media for the Indian Overseas Congress (IOC), shared the letter with similar assertions.

Screenshot of the viral post containing the letter with the tentative dates for the Lok Sabha elections. (Source: X/Modified by Logically Facts)

Archived versions of other such posts can be accessed here, here, and here.

Delhi CEO clarifies the misunderstanding

In response to the widespread misinterpretation, the Delhi CEO office released a press note on January 23, 2024, emphasizing that the date mentioned in the letter was simply a point of reference for election officers to plan their activities. The note clarified that this date should not be construed as the actual date of the election.

“ECI Planner enlists all such important activities and provides Start date and End date with reference to an imaginary poll date as a reference point to initiate and complete those activities,” the Delhi CEO said.

Furthermore, it is important to note that the ECI has not yet announced the official schedule for the 2024 general election. The commission will announce the election dates at an appropriate time in the future, as stated in the letter.

(This story is based on a post that was flagged to Logically Facts by ABP News.)