Maharashtra polls: BJP's Vinod Tawde embroiled in cash-for-votes scandal
BJP's Vinod Tawde faces FIRs for alleged voter bribery ahead of Maharashtra elections, amid protests and cash recovery claims. He denies wrongdoing
Mumbai: The Tulinj police on Tuesday filed three FIRs against Bhartiya Janata Party national general secretary Vinod Tawde for allegedly distributing cash to voters and violating the Election Commission’s model code of conduct a day ahead of Assembly elections in Maharashtra.
Tawde, a Maratha leader and a potential candidate for the chief minister’s post, was meeting the BJP candidate from Nalasopara, Rajan Naik, at a hotel when local strongman Hitendra Thakur whose son Kshitij is contesting opposite BJP’s Naik barged in with a group of about 300 supporters. The hecklers who video-recorded the protest, alleged that Tawde was at the hotel to give ₹5 crore to woo voters. The EC’s flying squad was called in and recovered ₹9.93 lakh from three rooms that were booked in Naik’s name. In addition, the protestors also recovered a diary from the BJP leaders’ possession which they claimed had details of the money to be distributed. It’s since been handed over to the local police.
Vinod Tawde has denied all wrongdoing and asked the police to check CCTV footage and demanded that the EC conduct an impartial probe into the incident. “I was on my way back from Wada in Palghar when I stopped at the hotel to meet our local candidate to ask them to take certain precautions on voting day…The entire incident is recorded on CCTV, there is no question of distributing any money, there must be an impartial inquiry” he told the media. He also said his car had been checked by the EC squad and no money had been recovered from it.
Thakur who heads the political outfit Bahujan Vikas Aghadi (BVA) and is fielding eight candidates in this election, including his son Kshitij, said, “I was told by BJP workers themselves that Vinod Tawde was coming with ₹5 crore which is why I came in with my supporters. We found a diary with certain noting and now the police and the Election Commission must act,” he told the media at press briefing which he, ironically, held in concert with Tawde.
“We have registered a first information report against Tawde and 34 others for the ₹9.93 lakh cash which was seized from the hotel rooms. A second FIR has been registered against Vinod Tawde for being present in the Nalasopara constituency 48 hours before polls where he is not a voter. The law says that one can’t be in a constituency if he is not a voter. We have also registered another FIR against him and Hitendra Thakur for holding a press conference which is against the model code of conduct,” said Palghar collector Govind Bodke.
Kshitij Thakur and others have also been booked for assaulting Mahayuti workers inside the hotel, he added.
Deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis gave a clean chit to Tawde, saying he had gone to meet party workers and had done nothing wrong. “He neither distributed money nor was anything objectionable recovered from him. In fact, he and our Nalasopara candidate Rajan Naik were attacked by the mob. It was a systematic attempt by the MVA as they have realised that they will lose the polls,” Fadnavis said.
For his part Hitendra Thakur alleged that the police had recovered ₹19 lakh but “showed a recovery of only ₹9.93 lakh.” When asked about the joint press briefing and his departure with Tawde, seemingly on friendly terms, Thakur said he did so at the police’s behest. “The police told me to escort Tawde out of the hotel, or else the mob could have lynched him. I dropped him to a safe place only on humanitarian grounds.”
The incident, and the widespread coverage it has received on television, has become a public relations embarrassment for the BJP and given the opposition ammo a day before the election. “Modiji, whose safe has this ₹5 crore come from? Who looted the money from people and sent it to you in a tempo?” posted Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on X. Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray termed the incident as “note jihad” in an apparent jibe at Devendra Fadnavis who has been alleging that Muslims were indulging in ‘vote jihad’ by voting against the BJP.
“Today I went to visit the Tulajabhavani temple but still my bag was checked,” said Thackeray. “Yesterday the Election Commission found crores of rupees at Nashik and today Vinod Tawade was caught distributing money. This is ‘Note Jihad’ by the Mahayuti and the EC must take action against them.”
Shiv Sena (UBT) MP and party spokesperson Sanjay Raut went a step further to allege a deeper conspiracy behind Tuesday’s events. “A top leader of the BJP has conspired to leak information about Tawde (his movements). The home department kept an eye on Tawde who belongs to Maratha community. A top BJP leader has conspired against him to end any possible challenge from him in state politics,” he posted on X but refrained from naming anyone.
Thakurs and the BVA
Virar-Vasai strongman Hitendra Thakur-led Bahujan Vikas Aghadi (BVA) holds political sway from Vasai to Palghar. At present, the party which had supported Eknath Shinde during his rebellion against Uddhav Thackeray, has three MLAs from the region.
Hitendra, 63, is the younger brother of Jayendra or Bhai Thakur who was in prison for over a decade in connection with extortion, murder and attempt to murder. Bhai Thakur has been accused of running a criminal syndicate in association with Dawood Ibrahim.
Hitendra started his political career with Congress in 1988 and was elected as MLA from Vasai in 1990. But this was the time when the police began cracking down on Bhai Thakur’s empire and Congress expelled Hitendra from party and their government arrested him. After his release from prison Hitendra formed the Bahujan Vikas Aghadi and was elected from Vasai for six consecutive terms. He is now seeking re-election from the same constituency while his son Kshitij, a three-term MLA from neighbouring Nalasopara constituency too is contesting again. The BVA has also had power in Vasai-Virar municipal corporation for two decades. The Thakurs’ business empire has interest in real estate, hospitality and education.
BVA supported Eknath Shinde led Sena-BJP combine when they formed the government by pulling down the MVA government in June 2022 but talks with the Mahayuti broke down after the ruling alliance fielded candidates opposite the Thakurs and their BVA candidates. On Monday however, the party’s candidate from Dahanu, Suresh Padvi, got out of the fray and formally joined the BJP two days before the election.