Congress notice fielding Rahul, Priyanka Gandhi from Raebareli and Amethi is fake

What’s the claim?

A notification purportedly issued by the oppositional Congress in India claims that the party has announced the candidate list for two constituencies — Amethi and Raebareli — in the state of Uttar Pradesh for the third and fourth phases of the Lok Sabha elections in India. 

A press release, purportedly released by the All India Congress Committee (AICC) on April 30, 2024, is circulating on social media claiming that while Rahul Gandhi will contest the polls from Raebareli, Priyanka Gandhi will contest from Amethi. An archived version of the post can be found here. Another press release claiming that Rahul Gandhi will contest from Amethi and Priyanka Gandhi will contest from Raebareli is also being shared online. An archive version can be found here.

A screenshot of the viral Congress press release was shared online. (Source: X/Facebook/Screenshot/Modified by Logically Facts)

The two constituencies are specifically in focus for two reasons. Former Congress President Sonia Gandhi has held the Raebareli seat since 2004. However, now that she has been nominated to the Rajya Sabha, there has been speculation that her daughter and General Secretary of the party, Priyanka Gandhi, will be announced as the candidate to succeed her. Meanwhile, Rahul Gandhi lost the 2019 elections from Amethi, which was won by contender BJP’s Smriti Irani. Rahul Gandhi secured victory and became a Member of Parliament from the constituency Wayanad. This year, too, Rahul Gandhi contested the elections from Wayanad, where polling was held on April 26, 2024 (Phase 2). The viral images are being shared as May 3 is the last day to submit candidate nominations to these two constituencies.

However, both of these notifications are edited and fake. The Congress has not yet released the candidate list for the Amethi and Raebareli constituencies.

Here are the facts

We accessed the viral notification and found some discrepancies. The date is in a different font from the rest of the notice, and the font size is unusually large. The font of the text: “List of candidates Uttar Pradesh Shri. Rahul Gandhi: Raibareli Smt. Priyanka Gandhi: Amethi” also differs from the rest of the letterhead on the notice.

Discrepancies in the viral notification and a comparison with an official AICC press release. (Source: X/AICC/Screenshot)

The format of the viral notification does not match other press releases issued in the past by the Congress. We also compared the viral notification to previous candidate lists released by the Congress.

Further, the official website of the Congress has no such press release announcing the candidate list for Amethi and Raebareli constituencies. The latest candidate list was announced for Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, and Maharashtra constituencies on April 30, 2024.

We also contacted Congress to clarify the viral note and to confirm whether the party has announced its candidates for the two seats. Speaking to Logically Facts, Pawan Khera, the Media and Publicity Department Chairman of AICC, said the viral notification is fake and that the party has not made such an announcement.

If the candidature had been announced, such news would have made national headlines. However, according to a report in India Today, Priyanka Gandhi is unlikely to contest the Lok Sabha election. 

The verdict

The viral notification that claims Congress has announced Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi as Lok Sabha candidates from Raebareli and Amethi constituencies, respectively, is edited and fake. The Congress had not announced any candidates from these two constituencies at the time of writing. Therefore, we have marked this claim as fake.