Rs 1.98 crore seized from Nashik hotel ahead of voting for Maharashtra Assembly polls

NASHIK: Ahead of voting for the Maharashtra Assembly elections on November 20, cash of Rs 1.98 crore was seized from a hotel in Nashik.

Nashik District Magistrate Jalaj Sharma said, “As per the information received so far, Rs 1.98 crore have been seized from there. Expenditure Observer and team are taking further action…Further investigation is under way”.

During the Model Code of Conduct for elections, those carrying cash above Rs 50,000 must have valid documents, while no paperwork is required for amounts less than that.

On November 12, the Thane police seized around Rs 2.5 crore in cash from a row-house in Sector 16 of Nerul in Navi Mumbai, officials said. The cash was seized in a joint operation by the Election Commission and Thane Police.

“We have seized the cash from a row-house. We are investigating whose money it is and where it came from. The seizure was made jointly by the Election Commission and the police,” Senior Inspector Bramhanand Naikwadi has said.

Campaigning for Maharahstra ended on Monday. The race for 288 assembly seats in Maharashtra is heating up, with both the ruling Mahayuti and the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) making efforts to win over voters.

In Maharashtra, the BJP-led Mahayuti alliance is trying to retain power, and the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) is hoping for a strong comeback.

The opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) coalition, comprising Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT), and the Nationalist Congress Party (SCP), seeks to reclaim power in the state, challenging the Mahayuti alliance, which includes Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), and Ajit Pawar-led NCP.

In the 2019 Maharashtra Assembly elections, the BJP won 105 seats, Shiv Sena secured 56, and Congress 44. In 2014, the BJP won 122 seats, Shiv Sena 63, and Congress 42. (ANI)