Congress had sought a detailed inquiry into the matter after it stirred a political storm in the state. A detailed report was sought from CEO Maharashtra by the Election Commission.
In his interim report to the Election Commission of India (ECI), Maharashtra Chief Electoral Officer has given a clean chit to the process of the hiring of a BJP office-bearer’s firm by the CEO in the run-up to the 2019 Maharashtra Assembly Elections.
Congress had sought a detailed inquiry into the matter after it stirred a political storm in the state. A detailed report was sought from CEO Maharashtra by the Election Commission. According to the report accessed by India Today Tv, the CEO in his interim report has denied any connection between CEO’s office and Devang Dave or that work was awarded to Social Central Media Solutions by CEO’s office or the director-general of information and public relations (DGIPR).
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As per the sources from the CEO’s office, the report went on to state that M/S Signpost India Pvt. Ltd. was selected by DGIPR, which selects agencies for all types of ads by government departments by a proper tendering process, on the request of the CEO office’s after a due process.DGIPR was approached by the CEO office for engaging a suitable agency for the SVEEP campaign on social media for Lok Sabha and state Assembly polls.
The Congress had raised an objection claiming conflict of interest after Mumbai-based activist Saket Gokhale raised the issue through a series of tweets. Gokhale had claimed in his series of tweets that a firm hired by the Election Commission to handle its social media accounts in the run-up to the 2019 Maharashtra Assembly elections was the same firm that was hired by the BJP. Gokhale had also mentioned that the firm is owned by BJP’s youth wing leader Devang Dave.
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