Maharashtra Assembly Elections 2024 | Shiv Sena workers offering cash for voter IDs in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, claims Danve

"People from the Shiv Sena (Eknath Shinde) and BJP in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar are taking away voter IDs of poor people by paying them Rs 1,000- Rs 2,000 and inking their fingers," said Ambadas Danve.

Mumbai: Leader of Opposition in Legislative Council Ambadas Danve on Tuesday claimed that workers of Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena were offering people cash in exchange of their voter IDs in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar district, earlier known as Aurangabad.

Danve, a senior leader of the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) also alleged that the police were not taking any action.

The incident was reported from Aurangabad West seat - from where Shiv Sena (UBT)’s Raju Shinde is taking on sitting MLA Sanjay Shirsat, the Shiv Sena spokesperson and CIDCO Chairman, who is a close aide of Shinde.

In a post on X, Danve said: “It has come to light that money is being distributed after inking voters' fingers and collecting their election ID card. This probably means that the Election Commission does not want to conduct an impartial election in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar. The question is at whose behest and how did the ink come out when there was a 'dutiful' collector and all the election machinery present,” Danve alleged.

Danve asked the Election Commission of India and Maharashtra’s Chief Electoral Officer to take necessary action immediately.

According to the police, two persons were arrested on Monday night in a cash-for-voter-ID case, in which a man received Rs 1,000 for his voter ID and Aadhaar card.

Assembly Elections 2024 | The Maharashtra Assembly polls will take place against the backdrop of a fractured political landscape in the western state where the Shiv Sena and NCP will be going up against the Uddhav Thackeray and Sharad Pawar factions, even as the BJP and Congress try to make their mark. Meanwhile, in Jharkhand, the JMM faces a new challenge after Hemant Soren's recent arrest and Champai, a longstanding party member, joining the BJP. The Haryana election resulted in a shock loss for Congress, which was looking to galvanize on the Lok Sabha poll performance, while J&K also saw the grand old party eventually stepping away from the cabinet, with Omar Abdullah's JKNC forming government. It remains to be seen if the upcoming polls help BJP cement its position further or provide a fillip to I.N.D.I.A. Check live updates and track the latest coverage, live news, in-depth opinions, and analyses only on Deccan Herald.

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