A post being widely shared on social media ahead of the first phase of Lok Sabha elections has claimed that Congress has not given ticket to a single candidate in Arunachal Pradesh due to the “fear” of China. It is also being claimed that despite starting from the North-Eastern state, Arunachal Pradesh was conveniently ignore during Rahul Gandhi’s ‘Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra’.
The viral claim was found to be fake during the investigation. Congress has indeed announced candidature of two from Arunachal Pradesh. The claim that Congress is not contesting from the region are fake. Along with this, the claim that ‘Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra’ did not pass from Arunachal Pradesh are also false. The next stage of Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra after Assam was Arunachal Pradesh.
Claim:
Social Media user ‘I HATE AAP PARTY’ shared the viral post. Check the archive version of the post. Other users too are sharing the same post on their profile.
Investigation:
According to the Election Commission of India’ss notification (archive link), voting for both the Lok Sabha seats of Arunachal Pradesh (Arunachal West, Arunachal East) will be held in the first phase on 19 April 2024.
After this we checked the list of candidates contesting from these two seats. According to the data available on the Election Commission website, a total of 12 candidates had filed nominations from Arunachal Pradesh (East) Lok Sabha seat, out of which nominations of 10 have been accepted. The Congress party candidate from this seat is Bosiram Siram. Nabam Tuki is the Congress candidate from Arunachal Pradesh (West) Lok Sabha seat.
Along with the Lok Sabha elections, assembly elections are also being held in Arunachal Pradesh. There are a total of 60 assembly seats in the state and according to ANI report (archive link), Congress has announced its candidates on a total of 34 seats.
Hence, the claim that Congress is not contesting from Arunachal Pradesh because of China’s threat is false.
The second claim in the viral post is that despite starting from the North-East, Rahul Gandhi’s “Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra” did not pass through Arunachal Pradesh. During the search, we found many news reports, which mention Rahul Gandhi’s visit to Arunachal Pradesh.
According to a CNBC18.com report on January 20, 2024, Rahul Gandhi’s “Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra” reached Arunachal Pradesh via Assam, where Arunachal Pradesh Congress chief Nabam Tuki welcomed Rahul Gandhi.
We contacted Nabam Tuki regarding both the claims made in the viral post. Terming the viral claim as fake, he said, “Congress is contesting both Lok Sabha and Assembly elections in Arunachal Pradesh.”
The group in which the viral post is shared is a public group, which has over three thousand members.
Conclusion: Claims stating Congress not giving tickets to candidates in Arunachal Pradesh Lok Sabha and Assembly elections because of China’s threat are false. Congress is contesting elections on both the Lok Sabha seats and has announced its candidates on 34 seats in the total 60-seat Assembly.
(This story was originally published by Vishvas News, and republished by Lighthouse Journalism as a part of the Shakti Collective)
