The BJP and its Mahayuti alliance in Maharashtra were hit by cash-for-vote allegations on Tuesday on the eve of polling in the state, forcing the party to launch a massive damage-control exercise to stave off an Opposition assault.

BJP national general secretary Vinod Tawde was gheraoed by Bahujan Vikas Aghadi (BVA) workers who accused him of distributing money among Opposition voters in Palghar. PTI quoted district authorities in Palghar as saying that a police team seized ₹9.93 lakh in cash and some “incriminating documents” from a hotel in Virar where some BJP activists were allegedly distributing money. BVA chief Hitendra Thakur accused Tawde of luring voters with money.

As a video of BVA activists gheraoing Tawde and shouting slogans while flashing currency notes allegedly seized from the hotel room went viral and the Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) asked withering questions, BJP leaders in Mumbai and Delhi launched a fire-fighting exercise.

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader and former chief minister Uddhav Thackeray alleged a “note jihad” while the Congress and the NCP (Sharad Pawar) organised media conferences in the national capital and Baramati, respectively.

In the video doing the rounds on social media, some men can be seen pulling out envelopes full of cash from a bag. The PTI report said the Palghar collector had in a recorded message confirmed that cases had been registered for offences that include possession of cash, violation of the model code of conduct and holding illegal media conferences.

Worried about the optics as Maharashtra gears up to vote along with Jharkhand, the BJP sprung into action. Party spokesperson and Rajya Sabha member Sudhanshu Trivedi held a media address at the BJP headquarters in Delhi where he accused the MVA of making “absurd and baseless” claims out of desperation fearing defeat in Maharashtra.

“This is a last-ditch desperate attempt by the MVA to vitiate the poll atmosphere in Maharashtra,” Trivedi said. He claimed Tawde, as national general secretary, had gone to the hotel to attend an indoor party meeting. Trivedi claimed that only party workers were present at the meeting, and not common voters.

“Such meetings are in keeping with rules and are held to pass on instructions to party workers regarding the polling process. We insist that CCTV footage from the hotel and nearby areas be checked. ₹5 crore in currency notes cannot be carried in a pocket. It would be visible if someone was carrying it.... They should show proof and not make baseless allegations,” Trivedi said. He accused the Congress of being “a certified champion of cash-for-vote” scams, referring to the 1994 JMMbribery case.

In Mumbai, Tawde, seen as a bête-noire of the BJP’s Maharashtra face and deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, made similar claims in his defence. “A meeting of MLAs from Nalasopara was underway to discuss the model code of conduct, sealing of voting machines and handling objections. Appa Thakur and Kshitij (both BVA leaders) misunderstood and thought we were distributing money,” Tawde told reporters while seeking an “impartial investigation” by the poll panel and the police.

Despite best efforts to fight off the charges, BJP insiders acknowledged that the visuals of Tawde being gheraoed by BVA workers and accused of distributing cash could cause damage to the party when the votes are cast on Wednesday.

Thackeray took a swipe at Tawde, saying he had been lauded for dismantling governments. “This is the BJP’s ‘note jihad’ — distributing money and winning,” he said, spinning the BJP’s “batenge toh katenge (divided, we shall perish)” slogan as “baatenge toh jeetenge (distributeand win)”.

In Delhi, the Congress sought action against Tawde, alleging that he had been caught with ₹5 crore in cash and a diary that had details of transactions worth about ₹15 crore. The video of Tawde being gheraoed by BVA workers was played at the Congress briefing while other constituents of the MVA shared it across social media handles.