Fact Check: EC has not yet announced poll schedule for LS elections 2024; viral notification is fake

Hyderabad: A purported circular for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections 2024 is viral on social media. As per the circular, with election notification, the model code of conduct will come into effect on March 12, the date for ‘nominations’ will be March 28 and the polling on April 19. It also mentions the date of counting and results as May 22 and the formation of the new government on May 30.

An X user shared the circular mentioning the same dates in the caption.

Several Facebook users have also shared the purported circular.

Fact Check

NewsMeter found that the circular is fake since the Election Commission of India is yet to announce the schedule of the upcoming General Elections.

We checked the official X handle of ECI and found a clarification stating that the viral message is fake. “A fake message is being shared on WhatsApp regarding the schedule for #LokSabhaElections2024. 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,” read the clarification.

ECI also took to Instagram to debunk the fake notification.

According to a February 21 report of The Indian Express, as the official tenure of the NDA (National Democratic Alliance) led 17th Lok Sabha session is set to expire on 16 June, the General Election to elect the members of the 18th Lok Sabha in India is expected to take place in the coming months of April and May.

According to a February 23 report of India Today, the Election Commission is likely to announce the dates for Lok Sabha polls after March 13. The dates will be announced after the preparedness for the General Elections is complete in all states. The commission is visiting multiple states to assess the preparedness.