Social media is rife with false claims of the Indian National Congress not contesting for the upcoming Lok Sabha and assembly polls in Arunachal Pradesh. Some of these posts also purported that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra refrained from entering the state.
BOOM found multiple news reports, along with Congress' press releases that confirmed that the party has fielded two candidates for the parliamentary constituencies, and 19 candidates for the assembly seats in the north eastern state. This was further confirmed by the website of Election Commission of India, which showed the accepted affidavits of these candidates.
We also found multiple reports stating that the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra did pass through Arunachal Pradesh in January 2024.
Elections in Arunachal Pradesh will be held on April 19, to elect two Lok Sabha representatives, and 60 assembly representatives. The claim is viral in this backdrop.
One of the viral posts on X containing this claim read, "Congress didn't field any candidate in Arunachal Pradesh;is it because because China might get angry and also because it will be a breach of the 2009 MoU signed between the Congress and the Chinese Communist Party?."
The above posts can be viewed here and here. Click here and here to view archives of these posts.
These claims were also shared on Facebook, which can be viewed here and here.
Fact Check
BOOM looked through Congress' social media posts and press releases, and found the party's lists of candidates for Arunachal Pradesh's Lok Sabha and assembly constituencies.
A press release on Congress' website dated March 21, 2024 containing the third list of candidates for Lok Sabha showed two candidates fielded by the party - Nabam Tuki and Bosiram Siram.
We also consulted the ECI's website, and found both their accepted affidavits. Tuki's affidavit can be viewed here, and Siram's affidavit can be viewed here.
A Google keyword search with "congress arunachal pradesh assembly candidates" led us to several reports about the party initially fielding 34 candidates for the assembly polls in the state. An Indian Express article included the entire list of candidates chosen by the party for the assembly polls.
Furthermore, we found a report by Deccan Herald stating many of these candidates eventually withdrew their candidacy for the assembly elections, bringing the total number of candidates for the party down to 19.
We also found a tweet from Arunachal Pradesh Congress' X handle, containing the final list of 19 candidates for the assembly polls.
We further verified their candidacy on the ECI website, by looking through their accepted affidavits. Some examples of accepted affidavits of Congress candidates for the assembly seats in Arunachal Pradesh can be viewed here, here, here and here.
Did Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra skip Arunachal Pradesh?
We also found reports that dismissed the claim of Rahul Gandhi's Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra - a march spanning from Manipur in the North East to Mumbai in the West - not passing through the state of Arunachal Pradesh.
A report by Mirror Now showed the Nyay Yatra entering Arunachal Pradesh from Assam, with Gandhi leading the march on foot. The same was also reported by India Today, the Hindu, Deccan Herald, and Economic Times.
Gandhi had also posted a video documenting the Nyay Yatra from Lakhimpur in Assam to Itanagar in Arunachal Pradesh.