The former Maharashtra Chief Minister Ashok Chavan on Sunday maintained that the Election Commission (EC) notice vindicated his stand that the advertisements during his 2009 election campaign did not constitute paid news. “The EC has said the advertisements were part of general election expenses. It does not say these constitute paid news,” Mr. Chavan told The Hindu .
He added, “I have pointed out both before the EC and in earlier petitions in the courts that the advertisements were issued without my consent. So they do not amount to paid news.”
Mr. Chavan claimed that he had in fact appealed to the EC to issue him a show-cause notice. “I had asked for a notice to be served to allow me to explain my stand on the allegations of not filing electoral expenses accurately. I will be responding to the notice.”
The petitioner Madhav Kinhalkar who lost the 2009 State Assembly election as an Independent against Mr. Chavan said: “I am grateful to The Hindu for taking up this issue.”
