A social media post claims that the Congress refrained from nominating any candidates in the forthcoming elections in Arunachal Pradesh, purportedly due to concerns about upsetting China (here, here & here). Additionally, it suggests that Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra avoided entering Arunachal Pradesh out of similar apprehensions. In this article, let’s fact-check the assertions made in the post.
Claim: Fearing China, Congress refrained from nominating any candidates in the forthcoming 2024 elections in Arunachal Pradesh.
Fact: Contrary to the viral claims, the Congress party has nominated candidates for both assembly and parliamentary constituencies in the upcoming elections in Arunachal Pradesh. Additionally, according to the Election Commission of India, the Congress has consistently fielded candidates in every parliamentary election since 2004. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
Arunachal Pradesh is scheduled for simultaneous assembly and Lok Sabha elections on 19 April 2024, with 60 assembly and 2 Lok Sabha seats at stake. Despite widespread claims to the contrary, the Congress party has indeed put forward its candidates for both assembly and parliamentary constituencies.
According to the data accessible on the Election Commission website, the Congress has nominated candidates for both parliamentary constituencies, and their candidatures have been approved.
The Congress has nominated candidates in several assembly constituencies. According to reports, the party initially nominated candidates in 34 seats. However, after scrutiny, only 19 candidates remained. The election affidavits of all these contesting candidates are accessible on the Election Commission website. It is worth mentioning that although Arunachal has a 60-member assembly, the BJP candidates in 10 seats won unopposed.
Furthermore, historical data concerning parliamentary elections in Arunachal Pradesh can be accessed on the Election Commission portal. According to this data, starting from 2004, the Congress party has consistently participated in every election. The affidavits of the candidates nominated by the Congress party are available for viewing here.
As for the assertion concerning Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra, Rahul Gandhi’s Yatra did enter Arunachal Pradesh earlier this year in January 2024. Visuals related to Rahul’s Arunachal leg of the yatra can be viewed here and here.
To sum up, the Congress party has nominated candidates for both assembly and parliamentary constituencies in Arunachal Pradesh for the 2024 elections.
