Maharashtra Voter Turnout At 18%, But Political Storm Over Bitcoin, Cash Allegations – News18

Last Updated:November 20, 2024, 13:11 IST

Maharashtra assembly elections 2024: The state’s voter turnout in 2019 was 61.74 per cent, while Mumbai’s figure stood at 50.67 per cent

Maharashtra recorded a voter turnout of 18.14 per cent till 11 am on Wednesday as polling was underway in all 288 assembly constituencies of the state. While political campaigning stopped 48 hours prior to voting, it couldn’t silence political storms involving Nationalist Congress Party (SP)’s Supriya Sule, Congress’s Nana Patole and Bharatiya Janata Party’s Vinod Tawde from brewing.

On Wednesday, Mumbai city district recorded 15.78 per cent voting, while Mumbai suburban district 17.99 per cent. The Colaba assembly segment registered 13.03 per cent polling, Mahim 19.66 per cent and Worli 14.59 per cent. In Mumbai suburban, Bhandup polled 23.42 per cent votes. In chief minister Eknath Shinde’s Kopri-Pachpakhadi constituency in Thane, the voter turnout was 18.22 per cent.

Gadchiroli district recorded 30 per cent turnout in the first four hours of voting. Aheri in the district saw 30.6 per cent voting, while Armori assembly registered 30.75 per cent polling.

The Nagpur South-West constituency, from where Deputy Chief Minister and senior BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis is in the fray, the voter turnout was 19.91 per cent till 11 am, the officials said.

In Baramati in Pune district, from where Deputy chief minister and NCP chief Ajit Pawar is fighting against his nephew Yugendra Pawar, the poll percentage was 18.81 per cent, they added.

The state’s voter turnout in 2019 was 61.74 per cent, while Mumbai’s figure stood at 50.67 per cent.

SULE, PATOLE DENY CRYPTOCURRENCY ALLEGATIONS; SISTER’S VOICE, SAYS AJIT

The BJP on Tuesday alleged that Supriya Sule and Nana Patole are involved in a cryptocurrency scam. Sule has refuted the allegations and filed a criminal complaint to the Election Commission of India (ECI) and the Cyber Crime Department. Patole, too, said he didn’t even understand bitcoin.

The BJP’s allegations came after former IPS officer Ravindra Nath Patil claimed that Sule and Patole misappropriated bitcoins from a 2018 cryptocurrency fraud case to fund the ongoing Maharashtra assembly elections. The BJP played some purported audio clips of Sule’s conversation with an alleged witness in the case during a press conference. BJP’s Sudhanshu Trivedi said the allegations pose a serious concern in the electoral process and demanded the MVA alliance to come clean on their involvement in the fraud case.

Speaking to reporters after casting his vote, Ajit Pawar said, “In the audio clip, one voice is of my sister and another of someone I have known for a long time, it’s their voice only. Everything will be clear in inquiry, let it happen.”

“Not my voice. All these voice notes and messages are fake,” Sule told the media after casting her vote. “My voice is not there in the audio, I am a farming man, I don’t even understand bitcoins,” said Patole.

CASH DISTRIBUTION ROW

In another major controversy on Tuesday, BJP national general secretary Vinod Tawde was accused of distributing cash by Bahujan Vikas Aghadi (BVA) chief Hitendra Thakur. Tawde denied the claims and called for an impartial investigation.

Speaking to reporters, Thakur claimed, “Some BJP leaders informed me that BJP general secretary Vinod Tawde is coming to Virar to disburse Rs 5 crore to influence voters. I thought a national leader like him would not stoop to such a trivial task. But I saw him here. I urge the Election Commission to take action against him and the BJP.”

The BVA legislator further alleged the hotel Tawde was staying had shut CCTV recording. “The hotel administration seems to be in cahoots with Tawde and the BJP. They only activated their CCTV after we requested it,” he said, news agency PTI reported.

The Election Commission officials have also seized a total of Rs 9,53,900 in cash from the hotel where Tawde was staying. Additionally, an FIR was also registered against Tawde by the poll body for violating the model code of conduct..

BJP IT cell chief Amit Malviya said that the FIR is not related to the allegations of cash distribution.

“A meeting of workers was being held in the Nalasopara Assembly constituency, where we were explaining the election day code of conduct, such as how to seal the voting machines, how the final seal should be applied, and the necessary steps in case of objections. I had gone there to explain these points. However, the workers of Bahujan Vikas Aghadi believed we were distributing money. The Election Commission should conduct an inquiry, the police should investigate, and the CCTV footage should be examined. The Election Commission must carry out an impartial investigation,” Tawde explained.

“I have been in politics for the last 40 years and I have never been involved in a case relating to money. Why are Supriya Sule and Rahul Gandhi saying all this? After all this, Hitendra Thakur and Kshitij Thakur dropped me in their car,” Tawde said later while addressing the media.