Mumbai: Tensions Escalate in Virar as BVA Workers Accuse BJP’s Vinod Tawde of Cash Distribution
Mumbai, 19th November 2024: On the eve of Maharashtra’s elections, tensions flared in Virar when Bahujan Vikas Aghadi (BVA) workers surrounded BJP General Secretary Vinod Tawde, accusing him of distributing cash to sway voters. An Election Commission official reported the recovery of Rs 9.93 lakh from Tawde’s hotel rooms.
After hours of protest, it was agreed that a joint press conference would take place involving Tawde, Hitendra Thakur, his son Kshitij, and BJP candidate Rajan Naik. However, EC officials halted the conference, declaring it illegal. A formal FIR was filed in connection with the incident.
Tawde, Thakur, and Kshitij left together, with Tawde claiming they were heading for lunch. Meanwhile, BVA’s Dahanu Assembly candidate Suresh Padvi joined the BJP, pledging support to BJP’s Vinod Mendha.
The controversy erupted when BVA claimed Tawde was caught with a bag containing a diary that allegedly detailed Rs 15 crore in cash distribution. Hitendra Thakur accused Tawde of arriving in Virar with Rs 5 crore. The situation escalated when Kshitij allegedly took the diary, questioning Tawde’s presence after the official campaigning period ended.
The BVA also raised suspicions about the hotel’s non-operational CCTV cameras, suggesting that the footage was intentionally disabled to cover up the alleged cash distribution.
In response, Uddhav Thackeray of Sena UBT mocked the situation, comparing it to his own experience of having his bags checked without incident. Thackeray criticized the government, urging for its removal. The BJP dismissed the claims as politically driven, with senior leader Sudhir Mungantiwar mocking the allegations, calling them unfounded. BJP leader Atul Bhatkhalkar dismissed the accusations as a false narrative created by opposition parties facing defeat.
