On Maharashtra poll eve, cash-for-vote FIR against BJP’s Tawde

A major controversy broke out in Maharashtra on Tuesday on the eve of the Assembly elections after a regional party accused BJP general secretary Vinod Tawde of distributing cash at a hotel in Palghar near Mumbai.

Two FIRs were registered against Tawde, BJP candidate from Nalasopara Rajan Naik and others on a complaint of the state Election Commission in connection with the incident.

Editorial: Maharashtra clash

The first FIR named Tawde and others for assembling at the hotel in violation of the poll code while the second FIR was filed for allegedly luring voters by offering cash. Tawde denied the allegation. He said he had gone to the hotel to meet BJP workers and brief them about the electoral process.

A video in which he is seen surrounded by scores of people raising slogans against him and waving currency notes at a hotel went viral, with several opposition parties, including the Congress and the Shiv Sena (UBT), alleging that the BJP leader was present at the hotel to distribute cash for the November 20 elections in the state. EC officials told The Tribune that they were gathering more details regarding the incident. The Bahujan Vikas Aghadi (BVA) alleged that BJP candidate Naik was distributing cash to influence voters in Tawde’s presence.

Kshitij Thakur, sitting BVA MLA from Nalasopara, reached the hotel with his supporters and high drama followed. The BVA supporters gheraoed Tawde and raised slogans. They claimed that they found envelopes with cash and diaries at the meeting venue.

Hitendra Thakur, president of the BVA, alleged that a sum of Rs 5 crore was distributed at the Virar hotel. He said Tawde had a diary that carried the details of the cash. The Congress shared a video from the hotel and accused the BJP of trying to use money power to influence the poll. “Even top leaders are involved. The EC should take strict action,” the Congress said in a post on X. NCP (Sharad Pawar) leader Supriya Sule targeted the BJP over the issue.

“Demonetisation was introduced by them, then where does this amount of cash come from? I am surprised that a senior leader like Tawde was involved in this, if this is true,” she said.

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Priyanka Chaturvedi said Uddhav Thackeray’s bags were checked multiple times. The “ones truly carrying the cash bags went unchecked”, she said. “Today, a lot of people stand exposed. Waiting to see what action will be taken against the BJP and its general secretary Vinod Tawde ji,” she said.

The BJP trashed the allegations and termed these “baseless” and a political stunt by the BVA on the eve of the elections.

The party said Tawde was at the hotel for a meeting with party workers to discuss the poll preparations.

The BJP has said the EC must investigate the matter and scan the CCTV footage to get to the root of the matter. “This is nothing but a gimmick,” a BJP leader said.

Maharashtra votes on November 20 in an interesting electoral battle where two factions each of the Shiv Sena and the NCP are pitted against each other as part of multi-party alliances, led by the Congress and the BJP.

In the 2019 Assembly elections, the NDA (the BJP and undivided Shiv Sena) had scored a thumping victory, winning 161 seats in the 288-member Assembly. However, the long-time allies parted ways due to differences over rotational chief ministership.

Soon after, Sena leader Uddhav Thackeray tied up with the Congress and Sharad Pawar’s NCP to form the Maha Vikas Aghadi government. This government toppled in 2022 when Eknath Shinde led a mutiny that split the Shiv Sena.

Rs 5 cr distributed: BVA

• The Bahujan Vikas Aghadi alleged Nalasopara (Palghar) BJP candidate Rajan Naik was distributing cash to voters in Tawde’s presence
• Hitendra Thakur, BVA chief, alleged a sum of Rs 5 crore was distributed at a hotel, with Tawde keeping record in a diary
• The BJP called it a poll gimmick

Byelections to four Punjab seats today

Punjab’s four Assembly seats — Gidderbaha, Dera Baba Nanak, Chabbewal (SC) and Barnala — are among 15 in four states where bypolls will be conducted on Wednesday. The other states are UP, Kerala and Uttarakhand.