Shiv Sena accused Mahayuti ally, the BJP, of using cash to woo voters ahead of the January 15 Kalyan Dombivli civic polls, Maharashtra. Meanwhile, the Bharatiya Janata Party has refuted the charges.
A heated confrontation broke out between workers of the two ruling allies, prompting police intervention. Sena candidate Nitin Patil and independent nominee Ravi Patil on Sunday alleged that BJP workers supporting candidate Arya Natekar distributed money along with campaign leaflets at a building in Tukaramnagar, under the Kalyan Dombivli Municipal Corporation (KDMC) limits in Maharashtra's Thane district.
In ward no. 29 of KDMC, the Shiv Sena and BJP, which are allies in the Mahayuti government, are fighting the elections against each other. In other wards, there is an alliance between the two parties.
BJP Kalyan district President Nandu Parab termed the allegations "false and baseless”, claiming that Shiv Sena workers had "forcibly stuffed money" into the hands of BJP activists to frame them and create a controversy.
Shiv Sena sub-district Chief Rajesh Kadam, however, said, "The incident is unfortunate. We believe alliance partners should follow ethical principles during the campaign."
Election flying squads were briefed, and officials were reviewing video footage of the incident to determine if any poll rules were violated. Following the clash, the Ramnagar police took several individuals to the local police station for questioning and later let them off. The police also seized the materials for investigation.
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