On Tuesday, 22nd October, NCP (Sharad Pawar) MLA Rohit Pawar attempted to spread fake information against the Mahayuti alliance in Maharashtra ahead of the state assembly elections scheduled in November 2024. Pawar shared an old video of stacked cash and claimed that the BJP-Shiv Sena (Shinde) had been bribing the state voters by distributing cash.
This is a day after the Pune rural police on Monday night, 21st October, seized unaccounted cash worth Rs 5 crore from an Innova Chrysta car bearing number MH 45 AS 2526 at Khed Shivapur toll post. According to police and administration, the person driving the car said that the cash was intended for delivery to a politician currently linked with the ruling party in Sangola. The act in question happened inside the jurisdiction of the Rajgad police station area, which was later highlighted by MLA Pawar to corner the ruling government.
“Rs 25 crores are said to have been given to the ruling party candidates as the first instalment for the elections and yesterday one of these instalments was caught from Khed-Shivapur. Found one car but where are the other four cars?” he questioned sharing an old video unrelated to the incident.
“Even in the Lok Sabha, the ruling party attempted to sway the people of Maharashtra by spending money lavishly, but the self-respecting citizens here gave the grand coalition a clear defeat, as decisive as the Katraj Ghat. Though the Grand Alliance may celebrate their gains in the Legislative Assembly with the money they’ve poured in, the people of Maharashtra will certainly give a fitting response to those who betrayed them, and send them home for good. The rulers must remember— this is Maharashtra, not Gujarat’!” he added blatantly cornering the Mahayuti alliance by sharing an old fake video.
सत्ताधारी पक्षाच्या उमेदवारांना निवडणुकीसाठी पहिली इंस्टॉलमेंट म्हणून 25- 25 कोटी दिले गेले असल्याची चर्चा असून काल यातलीच एक गाडी खेड-शिवापूर च्या #डोंगार_झाडीमध्ये पकडली गेली. एक गाडी सापडली पण अजून चार गाड्या कुठे आहेत?
— Rohit Pawar (@RRPSpeaks) October 22, 2024
लोकसभेलाही सत्ताधाऱ्यांनी पाण्यासारखा पैसा ओतून… pic.twitter.com/B9Z4gbqRk7
In the video shared by MLA Pawar, huge cash stacks of Rs 500, also Rs 2000 and Rs 200 could be seen lined up. However, the claim by Pawar that these were the stacks recovered by the Pune rural police from Innova Chrysta’s car on Monday was false, as the video in question had been posted by a private YouTube channel 4 years ago. Also, the circulation of Rs 2000 notes was withdrawn by RBI in May 2023, raising further questions about how such a huge sum of withdrawn denomination could be recovered by the police on Monday.
The claimed video had been posted on YouTube by a private channel in the name of ‘Kaushal Jaghina’ around 4-5 years ago. The video is still available on the platform. Pawar notably dragged the four-year-old video to claim that the BJP-Shiv Sena (Shinde) alliance had been distributing cash to buy voters ahead of the Maharashtra State Assembly elections 2024.
कमरे में नोटों की गड्डियों का यह वीडियो चार साल पुराना है pic.twitter.com/EcETTqz3Jr
— Only Fact (@OnlyFactIndia) October 22, 2024
Several netizens meanwhile criticized Pawar for spreading fake information and targeting the Mahayuti alliance. “You were, are, and will continue to be vile, as you have shown by sharing this video,” said Prakash Gade, BJP member from Nanded, Maharashtra. He further indicated that Pawar shared a video in which Rs 2000 note cash stacks could be seen, the denomination which was withdrawn from circulation in May 2023.
तू नीच होतास, आहेस आणि पुढेही राहणार आहेस, हेच तू या व्हिडिओ मधून दाखवून दिला.
— Prakash Gade (@PrakashGade13) October 22, 2024
एक वर्षापूर्वीचा कॉन्ग्रेस आमदाराच्या घरात सापडलेल्या पैशाचा video पोस्ट करून तू अक्कल पाजळतोय. लाज वाटू दे… तुला एवढी सुद्धा अक्कल नाही, 2 हजारच्या नोटा चलनात नाहीत त्याला सुद्धा एक वर्षे उलटून… https://t.co/Ig6EFCk2Lu
2021चा video अपलोड करून जनतेची दिशाभूल करताना लाज वाटायला हवी रोहित पवार. pic.twitter.com/ZhiSTTram9
— Eknath Shinde Army (@cmShindeArmy) October 22, 2024
Several others mocked Pawar for desperately launching an attack on Mahayuti ahead of the state assembly elections. “From where did you get Rs 2000 notes?” asked one while the other one said that the way Pawar was sharing fake videos, was an indication that MVA was again about to lose the elections. The others meanwhile pointed out that Pawar had posted the video on X by downloading it from YouTube.
A general assembly election in Maharashtra is scheduled on 20th November 2024 to elect the 288 members of the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly; the counting and results will be announced on November 23rd, 2024. The model code of conduct for the November 20th state assembly polls has come into effect on October 15th and the police have stepped up vigilance.
