Mumbai: The fourth phase of polling in Maharashtra was marred by allegations of money distribution levelled by opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) parties against the ruling alliance Mahayuti.
Polling was held for 11 Lok Sabha seats – Nandurbar, Jalgaon, Raver, Jalna, Aurangabad, Maval, Pune, Shirur, Ahmednagar, Shirdi and Beed – in the fourth phase in Maharashtra on Monday.
The opposition MVA leaders alleged that large amounts of cash were reportedly distributed ostensibly to buy votes. While Shiv Sena UBT leader Sanjay Raut alleged the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena distributed Rs 12 crore in Nashik, Congress’s Pune candidate Ravindra Dhangekar protested inside a local police station demanding FIR against BJP for distribution of cash. NCP (SP) leader Rohit Pawar also accused BJP candidate Sujay Vikhe-Patil of giving cash for votes in Ahmednagar.
Posting a purported video of Chief Minister Eknath Shinde alighting from a helicopter in Nashik with two security personnel lugging at least two heavy bags, Raut demanded to know why the CM travelled with such bulky luggage for just a two-hour-long poll campaign trip.
Raut claimed that the bags hauled by the CM’s security personnel may have been filled with “around Rs 12-13 crore” and demanded a statement from the government.
NCP (SP) leader Rohit Pawar posted another supposed video showing bundles of cash lying on the road in the Ahmednagar constituency and claimed that it contained ‘prasad’ for disbursing among the voters.
“Today, a packet arrived here in the name of everyone called ‘Raja’ with the ‘prasad’ and a plea by the guardian minister to vote for his party. The irony is that in many villages, the local refused to accept the ‘prasad’ and in others the village elders siphoned off half the ‘prasad,” said Pawar in a jibe at the BJP’s candidate from Ahmednagar Sujay Vikhe-Patil, who is battling against NCP (SP)’s challenger Nilesh Lanke.
Pawar said more complaints of ‘prasad’ packets are pouring in and alleged that there are reports of more than Rs 2,000 crore cash being splurged by the ruling side to get votes and buy out leaders of opposition parties.
Dhangekar alleged that last night in Pune, a large amount of cash was distributed during the weekend to lure the voters in the Sahakar Nagar slums in his constituency reportedly supporters of the ruling MahaYuti.
State BJP President Chandrashekhar Bawankule dismissed the MVA’s allegations saying “They are staring at defeat in the allegations and hence it is not surprising that they are levelling such baseless charges.”
Meanwhile, the NCP (SP) alleged wrongdoing after CCTV cameras got turned off for 45 minutes at a godown where the EVMs from the Baramati Lok Sabha constituency were stored in Pune district.
The election authorities, however, clarified that a cable of the cameras had to be removed for a short period during some electrical work on the premises in the morning.
