A screenshot of a a purported press release by the Congress, which mentions Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra as party's candidates for the prestigious Amethi and Raebareli constituencies respectively in the ongoing Lok Sabha polls, has gone viral on social media. Some other users claimed that Rahul Gandhi will contest from Raebareli, while the party has fielded Priyanka Gandhi from Amethi. In its investigation, the PTI Fact Check Desk found that the press releases shared in the name of Congress were fake. The party is yet to announce its candidates for the two high-profile seats in Uttar Pradesh.
The alleged list of candidates by the Congress is being shared amid the party maintaining suspense over the names of its candidates for the two seats.
Claim
A Facebook user shared on April 30 a screenshot of a purported press release issued by the Congress, according to which Rahul Gandhi will contest the 2024 Lok Sabha polls from Amethi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra will contest from Raebareli.
Here is the link and archive link to the post, and below is a screenshot of the same:
Investigation
Starting the investigation, the Desk ran the screenshot through Google Lens and found that several other Facebook users had shared it along with the same claim.
Two such posts can be seen here and here, and their archived versions can be seen here and here, respectively.
Several X (formerly Twitter) users also shared the same screenshot with the same claim.
The Desk also came across another Facebook post, carrying a screenshot of another purported press release by the Congress, which Rahul Gandhi as party's candidate from Raebareli and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra from Amethi.
Here is the link and archive link to the post, and below is a screenshot of the same:
In the next part of investigation, the Desk scanned the social media handles (X and Facebook) of Congress, but could not find any such press release as mentioned in the viral social media posts.
We, however, came across a list of four Lok Sabha candidates released by the party at 8:22 pm on April 30. The list included the names of Raj Babbar, Anand Sharma, Satpal Raizada and Bhushan Patil.
In the next part of investigation, the Desk conducted a customised Google search and found a news report by Hindustan Times, published at 10:08 pm on April 30.
The headline of the report read: "Cong fields Anand Sharma, Raj Babbar; suspense continues over Amethi, Rae Bareli".
"The party, however, is yet to announce its candidates from Amethi and Rae Bareli. The last date of filing nominations for the two seats is on May 3. A senior leader who recently met Rahul Gandhi said, the latter only smiled when party leaders told him that the media's entire focus is on the possible Congress candidates in the two seats," read a section of the report.
"Last week, the members of the Congress' Central Election Committee (CEC) unanimously supported a proposal moved by the party's Uttar Pradesh in-charge Avinash Pandey to field former Congress chief Rahul Gandhi and general secretary Priyanka Gandhi from the two Gandhi family bastions, Amethi and Raebareli, said two members of the poll panel," it added.
Here is the link to the report.
Meanwhile, we came across another report by Economic Times, published on April 30, 2024, whose headline read: "Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi may not contest from Amethi and Rae Bareli: Report".
Here is the link to the report.
The Desk also found Congress leader Dr Vineet Punia who said that the purported screenshots were fake.
Subsequently, the Desk concluded that fake screenshots were shared on social media in the name of Congress press releases.
CLAIM
Congress named Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra as its candidates from Amethi and Raebareli Lok Sabha seats.
FACT
The screenshots shared as Congress press releases are fake. The party is yet to announce its candidates on the two seats.
CONCLUSION
Several social media users shared screenshots of two purported press releases by Congress, which named Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra as the candidates from Amethi and Raebareli Lok Sabha seats. In its investigation, the Desk found that fake screenshots were shared in the name of Congress on social media.
(This story was originally published by PTI Fact Check, and republished by NDTV as part of the Shakti Collective.)