Caught in Maharashtra ‘cash row’, tracking Vinod Tawde
On the eve of Maharashtra elections, BJP’s powerful national general secretary Vinod Tawde found himself at the centre of a controversy with opposition accusing him of distributing money to voters in his home state.
This, however, was not the first time the prominent Maharashtra leader in Delhi and one of the few Maratha leaders his party can boast of, was in a tight spot.
Sidelined from Maharashtra politics after he was denied a ticket in the 2019 Maharashtra Assembly elections, of late there have also been speculations that his frequent visits to Maharashtra in the 2024 elections were linked to him landing “something major” in the eventuality of the BJP-led Mahayuti winning, this making those in contention somewhat “uncomfortable”.
Since his rehabilitation in the central party organisation, Tawde scored on many accounts, delivering successes of assignments. As the convener of the party’s nationwide membership drive, at present he is counted among the top three leaders in BJP president J P Nadda’s team.
Sources attribute much of what happened to him in Maharashtra in 2019, being denied tickets, sidelined in the state politics etc, to his “relationship/differences” with Devendra Fadnavis under whom he served as a Cabinet minister.
While in Delhi, Tawde has kept away from state politics. In fact, asked if he would return to state politics, he once said “no Maharashtra, only ‘rashtra’ (nation).”
However, the increased frequency of his visits to Maharashtra ahead of the Assembly polls is said to have "surprised and alerted" adversaries in state politics, it seems.
Whether there is any truth or a conspiracy behind the cash-for-votes allegation remains to be seen.
Controversy, BJP’s internal politics
With his name doing the rounds for the top post in the party, the “son of the soil” (as he likes himself to be called) was said to be a key part of the BJP’s plan in these elections to woo Maratha voters believed to be upset with the BJP.
Supporters said the “Maratha leader from Mumbai was more acceptable to those fighting for reservation for the community and angry with the BJP"
Caught on the camera being heckled by supporters of a rival party for allegedly distributing cash for votes, Tawde denied the allegations led by Bahujan Vikas Aghadi (BVA) leader Hitendra Thakur, terming it a conspiracy to malign his and the BJP’s image.
Emphasising his 40-year political career and awareness of election rules, Tawde claimed he was casually chatting with party workers and not campaigning.
BJP leaders in Delhi and Maharashtra, including Fadnavis, defended him, describing the alleged cash-for-votes case as a poll stunt and conspiracy.
Accusing a “frustrated” Maha Vikas Aghadi of making “last ditch attempts to confuse voters and influence the elections in the face of an imminent defeat, they said no money or any objectionable material was found on Tawde. “When one begins to see defeat in elections then the events that happen... this is one of them,” Fadnavis said.
Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) leaders demanded a thorough Election Commission investigation.
The police filed two FIRs against Tawde, BJP candidate Rajan Naik, and others for alleged cash distribution at the hotel.
An additional FIR was registered against BJP and BVA members for attempting to hold a press conference, for violating the election code of conduct, according to reports.
Meanwhile, speculations are also rife that Taade may have been hit by party's internal politics, again.
Tracking Tawde
In the erstwhile Devendra Fadnavis government, Tawde held key portfolios like school education, higher and technical education.
Rising in politics via Sangh' ranks, Twade joined the ABVP—RSS’s student wing—in 1980, becoming its general secretary in just eight years. Around 1994, he joined the BJP where the party’s most powerful Maharashtra leaders like Nitin Gadkari and late Gopinath Munde and Pramod Mahajan mentored him.
Known also for his survival skills, this is also not the first time Tawde encountered a controversy threatening to affect his image.
During his tenure in the Fadnavis-led government, opposition accused him of submitting a fraudulent degree and demanded his resignation. He was embroiled in another controversy involving a publication contract awarded to a Marathi publishing house in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar.
Tawde who contested his first Assembly polls from Borivali was expected to be re-fielded in 2019 but these and "internal" issues led to him being denied a ticket at the last hour.
It is said he paid the price for “differences” with Fadnavis. However, even when sidelined, he did not blame anyone openly.
Rather he said he would reflect on the party’s decision not to field him from Borivali saying “if I have made any mistakes, I will correct them. If the party made any mistakes, they will address those too”.
In what was seen as rehabilitation, Tawde was moved out of Maharashtra and made the national secretary.
In 2021, he was elevated as the national general secretary. The comeback bolstered his image and influence in the party and Maharashtra. Of late, there have also been speculations of him replacing Nadda whenever that happens
His successes on the assignments he was given like getting the Mayor and Deputy Mayor posts in the Chandigarh Municipal Corporation polls in December 2021, strengthened his place in central organisation
In 2022, he was made the coordinator for five poll-bound states (Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Goa, Manipur and Uttarakhand) of which BJP won four. Currently, he is in-charge of Bihar, where Assembly polls are due next year.
He also holds the responsibility of coordination on the BJP side when it comes to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ‘Maan Ki Baat’ radio show. The PM also took his ‘Sakriya Sadasyata’ (active membership) in the presence of Nadda and Tawde, the convener of the nationwide membership drive.
Supporters call Tawde “an effective backroom strategist”, detractors counter saying that he may be “a good organisation man but he is not a mass leader”.
