A fake circular has gone viral on social media claiming that the Election Commission Of India (ECI) has officially released the schedule for the upcoming general elections.
The Election Commission of India posted on X rubbishing the claim stating that they have not released the official schedule and that the photo circulating is fake.
Lok Sabha elections are expected to be held in April / May 2024, as they have been generally held around that time in India.
The viral photo has dates mentioned on it claiming that the Code of Conduct would come into effect on March 12, 2024, along with dates for nominations, polling day, counting of votes and results.
The photo is being shared on Facebook with the caption when translated reads, "Code of Conduct applicable from March 12"
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The fake circular is being widely shared with the same caption on Facebook.
FACT-CHECK
BOOM found that the viral circular is fake and the schedule for the upcoming general election has not been issued by the Election Commission Of India.
Election Commission of India posted on X stating the viral photo is fake. The caption read, "A fake message is being shared on Whats app regarding schedule for #LokSabhaElections2024 #FactCheck: The message is #Fake. No dates have been announced so far by #ECI. Election Schedule is announced by the Commission through a press conference. #VerifyBeforeYouAmplify"
The election dates were set between the months of April and May for the two previous general elections held in 2014 and 2019. In 2014, the Lok Sabha elections were held between April 7 and May 12 and in 2019, the polls were held in 7 phases from April 11 to May 19.