FACT CHECK: Did AAP change CMO Delhi X handle to Arvind Kejriwal at work?

The CMO Delhi X (formerly Twitter) handle on Thursday read ‘Arvind Kejriwal at work’. The description of the X account read: “Former Chief Minister of Delhi Shri Arvind Kejriwal revolutionized Delhi’s governance with reforms in education, healthcare, electricity, and public services.” This change comes as BJP clean swept the Delhi election, effectively ending an Arvind Kejriwal decade in the national capital.

Notably, BJP is yet to declare the a chief ministerial name, who would govern Delhi for the next term.

DID AAP CHANGE CMO Delhi X HANDLE TO ARVIND KEJRIWAL AT WORK?

On Thursday, BJP Delhi chief Virendra Sachedeva accused Arvind Kejriwal of ‘digital loot’. 

“Arvind Kejriwal changed the account of Delhi CMO and made it his own account, this is a direct loot of government money… This is digital loot… We have demanded from LG that the IT department of Delhi government should immediately file an FIR, start investigation and take strict action.”, Sachdeva told ANI reporters. 

A former X employee told Mint, “Ideally, the handle should have passed into the new one. It is a strategic digital asset so has to be handled like such. Any CM’s personal account is his”.

In countries like the United States, on account of a regime change, the older X handle of the President, POTUS, is achieved. The new President is given a new X handle.

Barack Obama’s X handle was archived with the handle – @POTUS44. The name remains ‘President Obama’. The bio reads: ‘This is an archive of an Obama Administration account maintained by the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA).’

Similarly for Joe Biden, the X handle was archived with the handle – @POTUS46. This account has a similar bio like that of Barack Obama.

NOTE: These are only the X handles of the offices that were held by Obama and Biden. This is not the same for the X accounts of these former US Presidents as individuals.

The currently active POTUS X handle is of Donald trump. The handle is- @POTUS, name reads- President Donald J. Trump. The bio of the account reads: “45th & 47th President of the United States. The Golden Age of America Begins Right Now.”

According to X policies, two microblogging accounts are created with the same handle if a regime change occurs. The older account, also deemed the mother account is then archived, and the later account is kept active. 

However, in India, the X handles are usually passed on to the new leader who is democratically elected by the voters of the country. 

In case of Delhi, the Chief Minister’s Office has a X handle, which was supposed to be passed onto the next office bearer, as happens for the Governors and President of India. However, this CMO X handle seems to have now been changed into an archival Arvind Kejriwal. 

The last post on this handle was made on 6 January. The Delhi election results were declared on 8 February.