The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) General Secretary Vinod Tawde on Wednesday (November 20, 2024) rejected allegations of distributing cash to influence voters, stating he was well-versed with electoral rules and would not engage in such activities, especially in a hotel owned by political opponents.
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“I’m aware of the rules and not stupid to indulge in such an activity at the hotel of political opponents,” he said after casting his vote in Mumbai.
Hours before the Assembly polls, Bahujan Vikas Aghadi (BVA) leader Hitendra Thakur accused Mr. Tawde of distributing ₹5 crore at a hotel in Virar, about 60 km from Mumbai, to sway voters. Election officials later revealed that ₹9.93 lakh in cash had been recovered from the hotel rooms and two cases were registered.
Dismissing the claims, Mr. Tawde clarified that his visit to the hotel was solely to provide guidance to party workers on polling procedures.
The saffron party leader said that he was in politics for 40 years and knows the election rules, particularly the ‘silence period’ before polls. “I was having a casual discussion with party workers, not campaigning,” he said.
Opposition leaders from the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) have called for a thorough investigation by the Election Commission into the alleged cash distribution with Congress leaders demanding his arrest.
“If Rahul Gandhi and Supriya Sule have seen the ₹5 crore, they can send it to me or deposit it in my bank account,” Mr. Tawde quipped.
On Tuesday, Congress leaders Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi also attacked the BJP. Mr. Kharge alleged on the social media platform X that the BJP was using “money power” to manipulate the elections. “Modi Ji wants to make Maharashtra ‘safe’ with ‘money power’ and ‘muscle power’! On one hand, there is a deadly attack on the former Home Minister [Anil Deshmukh] of the State, on the other hand, a senior BJP leader is caught red-handed with ₹5 crore in cash,” Mr. Kharge said in a Hindi post on X. “The public will answer this by voting tomorrow,” the Congress president said.
Mr. Gandhi reposted a video posted by the Congress which allegedly showed money being distributed to voters in Palghar. “Modiji, from whose SAFE did these five crores come from? Who looted the public’s money and sent you in the tempo?” he asked on X. Maharashtra Congress president Nana Patole accused the BJP of resorting to corrupt practices in fear of electoral defeat. “This is a serious violation, and the Election Commission must ensure transparency and take strict action,” he said.
Published - November 20, 2024 04:17 pm IST
