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| - A viral message on social media falsely claims that the Election Commission has released the dates of the Panchayat Elections set to be held in Uttar Pradesh soon.
We found that the dates given in the social media posts have been lifted off the election schedule for UP during the 2019 Lok Sabha Elections. The schedule for the Panchayat polls in the state is yet to be released by the state election commission.
CLAIM
Several users shared the claim in Hindi, stating that the elections in UP will be held in phases, with the first phase on 11 April for districts like Ghaziabad, Baghpat, Kairana, Gautam Buddh Nagar, Meerut, Bijnor, Saharanpur and Muzaffarnagar.
While some users specified two phases, others also claimed that the polls will take place in four to six phases in March and April.
A website, ‘Prarabhnews,’ also claimed that the elections would be held in seven phases from 11 April to 19 May, while another website, ‘adapnews,’ claimed that they will be held from 11 March to 19 April.
WHAT WE FOUND OUT
Through a relevant keyword search we found that the dates and locations specified for the elections in the viral messages exactly match the election schedule for the 2019 Lok Sabha elections in Uttar Pradesh.
The schedule was given in a press release by the Election Commission of India on 10 March. The tables below show that the dates and constituencies match those in the viral message.
While ‘Prarabhnews’ had the same dates in its false claim, ‘adapnew’ has changed the months to March and April, instead of April and May.
Further, we found no new reports or any announcements on the State Election Commission’s website or the Panchayati Raj Department regarding the election schedule.
According to a notification dated 5 February, the final publication of electoral rolls for the general public will take place on 15 March. Reports by Live Hindustan and News18 Hindi also state that the elections are likely to be held from 10 to 23 April. However, the State Election Commission hasn’t made a formal announcement yet.
Evidently, several posts on social media have used the election schedule of 2019 to falsely claim that the Election Commission released the dates of polls in UP.
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