By Aditya Kalra

NEW DELHI (Reuters) – Social media platform X’s head of coverage for India and South Asia, Samiran Gupta, has resigned, two sources mentioned, a high departure that comes forward of India elections and because the firm fights a court docket battle with New Delhi over content material elimination.

Gupta was probably the most senior India worker for X, previously often called Twitter, and chargeable for “key content-related coverage points” and “defending Twitter’s place with new coverage developments and assist in-country gross sales group,” in accordance with his LinkedIn profile.

Gupta, who was designated as X’s Head of International Authorities Affairs for India and South Asia, declined to remark to Reuters. X didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark.

Gupta’s tenure at X led to September, in accordance with Gupta’s LinkedIn profile, which mentioned he “enabled transition management for Twitter put up acquisition by Elon Musk led X-Corp.”

He had joined the corporate in February, 2022, eight months earlier than Musk accomplished his $44 billion acquisition of Twitter Inc (NYSE:).

X counts India as a key market, with round 27 million customers. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and different authorities officers are common customers of the platform.

There are roughly 15 X workers in features like compliance and engineering in India, mentioned one of many sources, however Gupta was the one govt partaking with the federal government and political events.

Interplay between X and authorities and get together officers would intensify sometimes throughout the run as much as polls, and a nationwide election is because of happen in India subsequent 12 months.

X is interesting in opposition to an Indian court docket ruling that it had did not adjust to authorities orders to take away sure content material, arguing it might embolden New Delhi to dam extra content material and broaden the scope for censorship.

India in September informed a court docket X is a “recurring non-compliant platform” and for years has not adopted many orders to take away content material, undermining the federal government’s position.