Politics

Congress-Cambridge Analytica link: Shehzad Poonawalla reveals the company’s pitch for 2019 elections

Shehzad Poonawalla also alleged that in August 2017, the 49-page proposal was presented by Cambridge Analytica to Congress party.

 

In a more apparent trouble to Congress, one more incident has come to light establishing the alleged link between Congress and now infamous data mining giant Cambridge Analytica. A copy of Cambridge Analytica’s proposal to Congress for the upcoming 2019 elections has been released by dissident Congress leader Shehzad Poonawalla.

Shehzad Poonawalla also alleged that in August 2017, the 49-page proposal was presented by Cambridge Analytica to Congress party. He also alleged that the proposal was drafted by the CEO of Cambridge Analytica-Alexander Nix.

Earlier, Cambridge Analytica whistleblower Christopher Wylie had shared some data regarding the data mining firm’s India operations, in which the name of Congress had cropped up.

The 49-page pitch revealed by the Shehzad Poonawalla is titled “Data-Driven Campaign: The Path to the 2019 Lok Sabha”. The content of proposal includes election campaign strategy for Congress during upcoming Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh Assembly election. As the title suggests, the proposal also talks about setting up a National Data Infrastructure Project with a fully operational centre. It further states that the project will be “the nerve centre for Congress party’s campaign coordination and planning”.

The proposal talks in detail about the strategies that will be deployed by the CA. It talks about employing data engineers and Data scientists to collect data from various party websites and social media sites. “This will help the company to build models, segment the audience and provide insights,” the proposal said.

The document also reveals the cost of research which is pegged at 3,89,460 dollars. However, Poonawalla alleged that the actual value is more than what is presented on paper. “The deal varies between 200 to 500 crores of rupees, on paper, however it is undervalued,” said Shehzad. He also linked it to the sudden rise in Congress President Rahul Gandhi’s social media activities. “Everyone could see the sudden spurt in Congress social media presence once Cambridge Analytica got a go-ahead from Congress Party,” said Shehzad Poonawalla.

The CA also listed the campaign designed by the company for American President Donald Trump as one of its achievements. The

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