BJP neta accused of handing out cash; Rs 10 lakh found, FIRs filed – Times of India

MUMBAI: Less than 24 hours before the Maharashtra elections, BJP general secretary Vinod Tawde got into a major feud with Hitendra Thakur’s Bahujan Vikas Aghadi (BVA), accusing him of handing out money to BJP activists and voters at a Virar hotel.
While there was no direct evidence that Tawde was distributing money, BVA MLA Kshitij Thakur, who is contesting from Nalasopara constituency and who entered the restaurant in the hotel where Tawde was sitting with BJP activists, claimed that they found a bag containing money in envelopes and a diary with names of those to whom money had been given. Videos that went viral showed Rs 500 notes being displayed by BVA workers who had surrounded a sitting Tawde.
Tawde (61) said he had only stopped at the hotel while returning from Wada in Palghar district. He denied knowledge of the money and described his visit as a friendly one during which preparations for the elections were discussed. He said he explained the poll protocol to workers and demanded an investigation by the European Commission. The opposition MVA demanded strict action against Tawde.
BVA workers held Tawde for over three hours before he was eliminated by Hitendra and Kshitij Thakur themselves. Election officials later seized Rs 9,93,500 from a room on the fourth floor of the hotel.
Four FIRs were filed in the case by Tulinj local police under the Representation of Peoples Act, confirmed Madhukar Pandey, Commissioner of Mira Bhayander Vasai Virar. The EC has filed a case against Tawde and Hitendra Thakur for holding a press conference during the post-campaign lull period and another case against Tawde for entering the constituency 48 hours before the elections. A third FIR, against Tawde, BJP’s Nalasopara candidate Rajan Naik and three others, related to the seizure of cash, and the fourth was registered against Kshitij Thakur for allegedly assaulting hotel owner Sudesh Choudhary, a Shiv Sena functionary and former BVA -corporator. Tawde was accompanied by Naik and Choudhary.
Police have also issued a notice banning Tawde from entering the constituency until counting ends on November 23.
Hitendra Thakur claimed that BVA had received a tip-off that Tawde was arriving with Rs 5 crore cash from a BJP leader. Tawde accused him of “lying” that a BJP neta had tipped them off.
BVA members claimed that the hotel’s main gate was closed and the CCTV cameras initially turned off; they were only activated at their insistence, they claimed. Palghar district collector Govind Bodke said they were looking for video footage.
Hitendra Thakur questioned Tawde’s presence in Virar. The situation, BVA activists said, worsened when women in saris were found on the stairs leading to the fourth floor, with their faces covered when questioned about their presence. Thakur claimed that Tawde had asked him for help over the phone to escape the mob. A press address by Thakur and Tawde after the drama ended when it was stopped by poll officials, with Tawde eventually leaving in Thakur’s vehicle.
Tawde later said in a statement: “The entire series of events was captured on CCTV. I was there only to have tea with BJP workers and participate in discussions. The question of distributing money does not arise. CCTV footage relating to this should be examined to clarify the situation.”