The Income Tax department has sent a notice to NCP chied Sharad Pawar. This notice has been sent to him seeking clarification on his election affidavits filed for the previous 3 elections. Apart from Sharad Pawar, Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, son Aditya Thackeray and Sharad Pawar’s daughter, sitting MP Supriya Sule have also been served notices by the Income Tax Department.
Speaking on the issue, the NCP chief said: “I received notice from the Income Tax department about my poll affidavit. On the directions of Election Commission, the Income Tax has sent a notice on poll affidavits for 2009, 2014 and 2020. The IT Department has also asked Supriya Sule to give details of her last 3 poll affidavits. It looks like Income Tax has love and affection for some people.”
Shiv Sena and NCP respond to the CBDT investigation
A day after the Election Commission asked the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) to probe allegations of discrepancies in the poll affidavits against NCP leader Supriya Sule, Shiv Sena supremo Uddhav Thackeray and his son Aaditya Thackeray, the parties had shrugged off the investigation calling it a ‘routine exercise’.
Shiv Sena Minister Anil Parab stated, “It is a routine process to cross-check the information given in an affidavit with the income tax authority. Election Commission and Income Tax Department normally share the information, so there is nothing new in the issue.” He had prepared the election affidavits of both Uddhav Thackeray and Aaditya Thackeray.
NCP spokesperson Nawab Malik too was not surprised with the development. Hailing it as a ‘routine exercise’, he stated that it was common for the central agency to verify information filed in the affidavit to the income tax returns of a candidate. Malik emphasised, “If there is a specific query, we will reply to it.”
EC asks CBDT to investigate complaint
On September 19, Election Commission asked the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) to probe complaints received against the Thackeray’s and Sule, alleging furnishing of false information in their poll affidavit for the Lok Sabha/assembly polls.
It was reported that some serious discrepancies have emerged in the affidavits filed by the Thackeray father-son duo. The activist who had filed the complaint had cited contradictions in Uddhav Thackeray’s data in son Aditya Thackeray’s filing.
