EC on Lok Sabha polls 2024 schedule: 'No dates announced, fake message shared on WhatsApp'

EC on Lok Sabha polls 2024 schedule: The Election Commission of India (ECI) has debunked rumors circulating on WhatsApp regarding the schedule for the Lok Sabha elections. On Friday, the ECI clarified that no official dates have been announced yet for the elections. 

The commission emphasised that any information regarding election dates will be communicated through a press conference. This clarification serves to address concerns about misinformation spreading through social media platforms like WhatsApp.

"A fake message is being shared on WhatsApp regarding the schedule for #LokSabhaElections2024 #FactCheck: The message is #Fake. No dates have been announced so far by #ECI. The Election Schedule is announced by the Commission through a press conference. #VerifyBeforeYouAmplify," ECI said in a post on X.

Congress released its first list of candidates for 39 Lok Sabha constituencies

The names have been announced for Lok Sabha seats in Chhattisgarh, Karnataka, Kerala, Lakshwadeep, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Sikkim, Telangana and Tripura.

Of the total 39 candidates announced, 16 are from Kerala, seven from Karnataka and six from Chhattisgarh, four from Telangana. Two from Meghalaya and one each from Nagaland, Tripura, Sikkim and Lakshwadeep. The list was released after the party held its Central Election Committee meeting on Thursday.

A total of 16 candidates have been announced from Kerala, including Shashi Tharoor from Thiruvananthapuram and Rahul Gandhi from Wayanad, seat he won in 2019. Congress party's second Election Committee meeting will be held on March 11 in Delhi to discuss the candidates for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls.

PM Modi, Amit Shah in first BJP list of 195 candidates for Lok Sabha polls

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will contest from Varanasi for a third time as the BJP released its first list of 195 candidates for the Lok Sabha polls, naming 34 Union ministers, including heavyweights like Amit Shah and Rajnath Singh from their current Gandhinagar and Lucknow seats respectively.

The list of candidates for the 195 constituencies included nearly 155 seats the party had won in the 2019 polls. In this list, The party has dropped over 20 per cent of its MPs.

-With agency inputs