Mumbai: BJP leaders scrambled to Vinod Tawde’s defence, describing the alleged cash for votes case as a poll stunt and conspiracy. Devendra Fadnavis said, “When one begins to see defeat in elections then the events that happen… this is one of them. Vinod Tawde is our national general secretary and he went there only to meet party workers. No money was found with him nor any objectionable material. On the contrary, he was attacked and our Nalasopara candidate Rajan Naik was also attacked. The MVA ecosystem, seeing tomorrow’s defeat, has done this to cover their defeat. Vinod Tawde is not guilty. He did not carry any money, did not distribute any money.”
BJP group leader in the council Pravin Darekar held a press conference and called the row an election stunt. “Sensing defeat, these kinds of stunts are being staged across the state. The first stunt was done by Anil Deshmukh, alleging the attack on his vehicle was masterminded by the BJP, an act BJP would never indulge in. Vinod Tawde is the party’s national secretary, and to accuse him of carrying money and distributing it for one assembly constituency is not proper and eventually will prove laughable,” Darekar said.
BJP leader Sudhir Mungantiwar said not only was Tawde’s the party’s national general secretary but a cultured and accomplished person. “A leader of his stature will never do such a thing,” he said.
BJP state unit president Chandrashekhar Bawankule, in a video statement, termed the incident a conspiracy against BJP. He said Tawde was in Nalasopara to discuss how party workers should work before elections, increase voting, and stop bogus voting. The opposition conspired and made accusations against Tawde, he said . “A film was made, and media management was also done, trapping him in a conspiracy. One needs to think if a man in such a position will go around distributing money. The opposition knows it is losing and so has conspired to defame BJP and Tawde. Investigating agencies will investigate, and as BJP, we too shall expose this conspiracy. Tawde is innocent,” he said. BJP MP and spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi defended Tawde, explaining his presence at the Nalasopara meeting was to guide party workers on the polling process, not for alleged distribution of money.