Fact Check: Has Congress Announced Rahul Gandhi As Amethi Candidate?

A purported press release by the Congress has gone viral on social media, mentioning Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra as the party’s candidates for the Amethi and Raebareli constituencies in the ongoing Lok Sabha polls. Some users claimed that Rahul Gandhi will contest from Raebarelli, while the party has fielded Priyanka Gandhi from Amethi. However, the PTI Fact Check Desk found that the press releases shared in the name of Congress were fake, as the party is yet to announce its candidates for the two 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 high-profile seats.

Several users on social media have also shared the same screenshot with the same claim. Additionally, another Facebook post carried a screenshot of another purported press release by the Congress, which positioned Rahul Gandhi as the party’s candidate from Raebareli and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra from Amethi. A list of four Lok Sabha candidates was released by the party on April 30, including the names of Raj Babbar, Anand Sharma, Satpal Raizada, and Bhushan Patil. Despite this, the party is yet to announce its candidates for the two high-profile seats.

A news report by Hindustan Times published on April 30, stated that the Congress has fielded Anand Sharma and Raj Babbar, while suspense continues over the candidates for Amethi and Raebareli. The party is yet to announce its candidates for these constituencies, and the last date for filing nominations for the two seats is May 3. There have been claims that the Congress’ Central Election Committee supported a proposal to field Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi from Amethi and Raebareli, although the party has not made an official announcement. On the contrary, a report by Economic Times stated that Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi may not contest from Amethi and Raebareli.

The PTI Fact Check Desk concluded that the purported screenshots were fake and were being shared on social media in the name of Congress press releases. The party is yet to announce its candidates for the two seats.