Audio clip of ‘CM’s war room’ caller goes viral

Wrong number, says the receiver, who has no political background and warns her never to call up again

The audio clip of a conversation between a voters' booth president and an alleged caller from the ‘chief minister’s war room’ has gone viral on social media.

The caller wants to verify the party worker’s name and tells the latter how they can get in touch with party functionaries for any booth-related queries. The caller identifies herself as Vaibhavi More, from the CM’s war room. More asks to speak with the president of BJP booth number 228 in Shirala assembly constituency.

The person (whose name cannot be heard clearly) on the other end seems to be irritated with the caller, having earlier received a missed call from her. When he calls back, she introduces herself, saying she is calling from the CM’s war room, asks for his name and proceeds to give instructions. The person asks her why she is using government phones for party work. He introduces himself and says he comes from Chiplun in Ratnagiri district, is not a BJP worker and warns her never to call him again in the name of BJP.

Officials from the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) have denied the claims in the audio clip and said there is no system of calling from the CMO or the CM's war room. However, insiders from the CM’s war room clarified such a system is prevalent in the BJP office, whereby workers are called from the party’s war room, and not from the CM’s war room.

A CMO official clarified the audio is false and has been mischievously recorded by someone. The war room insider said on condition of anonymity, “The BJP is reviewing booth-level work and its regular working style to call party functionaries and instruct them on assignments they should take up at their level.” He, however claimed, the audio clip was doctored or deliberately made viral dragging in the CM's war room in an attempt to defame the CM.

The incident comes on the heels of BJP chief Amit Shah ordering the appointment of booth presidents and volunteers at every voters’ booth in the state. There are more than 94,000 booths and the BJP has appointed party functionaries to 83,000 booths. It has set up a war room to review every booth. Employees have been appointed to call and verify names on the list provided by the party.

Officials from the CMO have denied the claims in the audio clip and said there is no system of calling from the CMO or the CM’s war room. However, insiders from the CM’s war room clarified such a system is prevalent in the BJP office, whereby workers are called from the party’s war room, and not from the CM’s war room