Day before Maharashtra voting, BJP’s Vinod Tawde accused of distributing cash, poll body files case

A day before the Maharashtra Assembly elections, tension gripped Palghar as BJP general secretary Vinod Tawde faced accusations of distributing cash to influence voters. Workers of the Bahujan Vikas Aghadi (BVA) confronted Tawde at the Vivanta Hotel, alleging he was caught with ₹5 crore in cash. While Tawde denied the charges, the Election Commission has filed an FIR against him over the cash-for-vote allegations.

BVA workers take out hard cash from BJP national general secretary Vinod Tawade’s bag & shows to media. BVA says the FIR should be registered against Tawade for distributions of money & should be arrested immediately otherwise they will not leave Tawade till election gets over. pic.twitter.com/LhKO6CdnIr

— Sudhir Suryawanshi (@ss_suryawanshi) November 19, 2024

A viral video shows BVA workers storming into the hotel during a meeting between Tawde and BJP candidate Rajan Naik from the Nalasopara Assembly constituency. The footage purportedly captures bundles of cash being removed from a bag, with Tawde claiming it did not belong to him.

BVA leader Prashant Raut alleged that Tawde tried to hide in the kitchen as the workers entered and accused the hotel of disabling CCTV recordings during the incident. Hitendra Thakur, the BVA chief and Vasai MLA, claimed his party also recovered two diaries from the scene. According to Thakur, Tawde apologized and sought help to leave the hotel safely.

Tawde, however, maintained his innocence, stating he was in Nalasopara to guide the party on election procedures. Despite his denial, tensions escalated, leading to three FIRs being lodged against Tawde and Naik. Police sealed the hotel as BVA workers demanded Tawde’s arrest, and Election Commission officials intervened to stop an attempted joint press conference, citing a violation of the election silence period.

The controversy has sparked a political storm, with opposition leaders seizing the opportunity to criticize the BJP. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi accused the party of using public money to influence voters, while AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi questioned the BJP’s ethics with a sarcastic remark. Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Uddhav Thackeray condemned the incident, calling for the removal of the BJP-led alliance in Maharashtra.

Amid the uproar, election officials confirmed the seizure of cash but assured voters that the elections would remain unaffected by the incident.