Who Is Vinod Tawde? BJP’s Maratha Leader Who Is At Centre Of Cash-for-vote Row

Last Updated:November 19, 2024, 22:56 IST

Bahujan Vikas Aghadi (BVA) workers confronted Vinod Tawde on Tuesday over accusations of attempting to bribe voters, which both he and the BJP firmly rejected

On the eve of the much-awaited Maharashtra elections, political tensions flared in Mumbai’s Virar when Bahujan Vikas Aghadi (BVA) workers confronted Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) General Secretary Vinod Tawde on Tuesday over accusations of attempting to bribe voters, which both he and the BJP firmly rejected.

Following the allegations made by BVA MLA from Vasai-Virar, Kshitij Thakur, Tawde challenged, “Why not check the CCTV footage?”. Meanwhile, in Delhi, BJP national spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi defended Tawde and accused the opposition alliance, Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) of making the claims as a “last attempt” to create controversy ahead of the election.

“The candidate from the Nalasopara constituency invited him to attend the meeting. He was passing from nearby, so he agreed. Such meetings are held to instruct party workers about the polling process. We insist that the CCTV footage from the hotel and surrounding areas be checked. Rs. 5 crore cannot be carried in a pocket. It would be visible if someone were carrying it. They should show proof and not make baseless allegations,” Trivedi stated at the press confrence in the national capital.

Who is Vinod Tawde?

Vinod Tawde is not just the BJP National General Secretary but one of the party’s most influential figures. So much so that sources say his name is actively being considered for the top leadership role within the party, a position once held by L.K. Advani, A.B. Vajpayee, and M.M. Joshi.

Tawde is the quintessential “son of the soil.” Fluent in Marathi and well-versed in various regional accents, he was born into a Maratha family in 1963 in Mumbai’s Girangaon area — a segment the BJP has been working hard to woo, especially since it largely turned away from the party after the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

Tawde has had an illustrious political career in Maharashtra — both in power and in opposition. Under Devendra Fadnavis’s chief ministership, Tawde held key portfolios such as school education, higher and technical education, Marathi language, among others. Even when the BJP was in opposition for nearly three years, he served as the party’s leader of opposition in the Maharashtra Assembly.

However, the Maratha leader rise wasn’t without challenges. Like many senior BJP leaders, he was strongly influenced by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). He joined the ABVP, the RSS’s student wing, in 1980 and became its General Secretary within eight years. It was in 1994 that he formally joined the BJP.

In his early years, he learnt ‘sangathan’ from political mentors such as Nitin Gadkari and Pramod Mahajan — something he till this date privately concedes.

What sets Tawde apart from the rest?

He gets the job done with a smile. Tawde can walk into a room filled with political rivals, party bosses, or grassroots workers with equal comfort.

Former BJP MP Gopal Shetty, whose rebellion would have hit BJP candidate Sanjay Upadhyay in Mumbai’s Borivli, has been promised a ministerial berth, say sources. This gesture not only massaged Shetty’s ego but also helped secure the seat for the BJP. That’s Tawde for you.

Location :

Maharashtra, India