Hours after facing allegations of distributing Rs five crore to woo voters, BJP general secretary Vinod Tawde on Tuesday called the charges against him as "baseless", and urged the Election Commission to conduct an impartial probe into the matter.

He said there was no question of him distributing money to voters, and claimed that he was only discussing election-related issues with the workers of his party.

A day before the Maharashtra assembly elections, the Bahujan Vikas Aghadi (BVA) accused Tawde of distributing the money to voters. Videos of the "cash distribution", many of them shot by BVA members who barged into the hall of the hotel in Virar town of Palghar district where Tawde was present, went viral, prompting the police to register two first information reports about the alleged cash distribution.

In his statement issued in the evening, Tawde said his visit to the hotel was for a casual meeting with BJP candidate Rajan Naik contesting from the Nalasopara assembly constituency.

"While returning to Mumbai from Wada (in Palghar), I received a call from Rajan Naik who invited me for tea at a hotel in Vasai where party workers had assembled. After I reached the place, we naturally discussed election-related matters, particularly technical processes for polling day and precautions to take," he said.

"Suddenly, some workers from another party entered and surrounded me, shouting loudly. I later learned they were from the Bahujan Vikas Aghadi (BVA)," he said.

Tawde said he then called BVA chief Hitendra Thakur, urging him to control the situation.

"I contacted Hitendra Thakur and requested him to restrain his party workers. Both he and (BVA) MLA Kshitij Thakur arrived at the hotel. After a brief discussion, I left with them in the same vehicle to defuse tension," he said.

Tawde said, "There is no question of me distributing money. I was merely meeting our workers over tea and discussing election-related issues. These allegations are baseless." He also sought examination of the hotel's CCTV footage, stating, "Let the CCTV footage be reviewed, and let the Election Commission conduct an impartial inquiry. It will become evident what really happened. Truth and lies will be separated." The opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) slammed Tawde and the BJP, accusing the saffron party of indulging in "cash-for-votes" and "note jihad", along with misusing government machinery and engaging in corrupt practices.

In the statement, Tawde criticised opposition leaders, including Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and NCP (SP) Supriya Sule, for commenting on the incident without knowing the facts.

"Leaders making allegations should first understand the reality of the situation," he said.

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