Maharashtra Assembly Polls 2024: BJP defends Vinod Tawde on cash-for-vote allegation, slams MVA for 'last desperate ditch attempt'

New Delhi: The BJP on Tuesday denied any allegation of distributing cash, after cases were filed against party general secretary Vinod Tawde for allegedly distributing cash ahead of polling.

The party said that Tawde was in a hotel to meet candidates and said that CCTV footage should be checked before any allegations are made. 

The party fielded spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi, who in a press conference at the party’s headquarters in Delhi, defended Tawde. “In Maharashtra, some baseless and unfounded allegations have been made against us to vitiate the atmosphere ahead of polling. This is a last desperate ditch attempt by Maha Vikas Aghadi. What is interesting is that in Nalasopara, where the incident took place, the MVA is not even in competition,” Trivedi said. 

Trivedi said that Tawde, being the party general secretary, has been entrusted with several responsibilities in the party. “He was going from Thane to carry out some organisational work. He was speaking to various candidates, taking feedback, and the local candidate from Nalsopara urged him to come for a meeting which was taking place in the hotel,” Trivedi said, adding that Tawde then took part in the meeting, where some discussions took place about organisational matters as well as ways on how bogus voting by MVA should be countered. 

“We, as well as Tawde ji, have made it clear that this incident took place in a hotel – a public place and not at a private location. Please check the CCTV footage because if Rs 5 crore was carried, then there must be some visual impact of such a huge amount being carried. This is an absurd and illogical allegation made by the Congress,” Trivedi added. 

Trivedi, in turn, also sought to point fingers at the Congress for scams unearthed in the past under its rule. “During the Congress’s tenure in the 1993, the Harshad Mehta scandal broke out, and questions arose about how Rs 1 crore reached people. At that time, Rs 1,000 notes were in circulation. Now, even with Rs 500 notes, show us where this alleged Rs 5 crore is. Show us a sack or anything. But instead, there’s nothing, just noise and baseless accusations,” he added. 

Assembly Elections 2024 | The Maharashtra Assembly polls will take place against the backdrop of a fractured political landscape in the western state where the Shiv Sena and NCP will be going up against the Uddhav Thackeray and Sharad Pawar factions, even as the BJP and Congress try to make their mark. Meanwhile, in Jharkhand, the JMM faces a new challenge after Hemant Soren's recent arrest and Champai, a longstanding party member, joining the BJP. The Haryana election resulted in a shock loss for Congress, which was looking to galvanize on the Lok Sabha poll performance, while J&K also saw the grand old party eventually stepping away from the cabinet, with Omar Abdullah's JKNC forming government. It remains to be seen if the upcoming polls help BJP cement its position further or provide a fillip to I.N.D.I.A. Check live updates and track the latest coverage, live news, in-depth opinions, and analyses only on Deccan Herald.

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