BJP's Vinod Tawde sends defamation notices to Rahul Gandhi, Kharge over Rs 5 cr cash-for-votes allegation
PTC Web Desk: BJP national general secretary Vinod Tawde, a former Maharashtra minister, has issued defamation notices to senior Congress leaders Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi, and spokesperson Supriya Shrinate after accusations from the Congress regarding an alleged cash-for-votes scam involving Rs 5 crore, which surfaced just before Wednesday’s elections.
In his notice, Vinod Tawde accused the Congress leaders of spreading false and baseless allegations with the intent to damage his reputation and the BJP’s prospects. He claimed the allegations were fabricated and disseminated online to mislead voters.
On platform X, Tawde stated, “I have sent defamation notices to Kharge, Rahul Gandhi, and Supriya Shrinate over the false Nallasopara case. These baseless claims are an attempt to malign my image and that of the BJP.” Tawde also clarified, “The alleged Rs 5 crore was not recovered during investigations by the Election Commission and the police. This is a clear example of Congress’ low-level politics.”
What are the allegations
The controversy began when the Bahujan Vikas Aghadi (BVA), a regional party, accused BJP candidate Rajan Naik of distributing cash in Tawde’s presence to influence voters in the Nallasopara constituency. Viral videos showed BVA supporters displaying currency notes allegedly found at a hotel where Tawde and Naik were meeting voters.
According to district officials, Rs 9.93 lakh in cash was recovered, but the BVA alleged Rs 5 crore had already been distributed and claimed Tawde maintained a diary of recipients. While Tawde was named in a police case for campaigning during the mandated silence period, he was not named in the cash distribution case.
The BJP dismissed the allegations as a political stunt, accusing the BVA of attempting to sway voters on the eve of polling. The Congress and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) also joined the fray, with NCP leader Supriya Sule expressing surprise at Tawde’s alleged involvement.
The counting of votes for the Maharashtra elections is scheduled for Saturday.
- With inputs from agencies
