Palghar by-poll: Campaigning gets bitter, as Uddhav Thackeray releases an audio clip of CM Fadnavis

Thackeray is accusing BJP of distributing money in order to buy votes for the by-polls.

Maharashtra: On the day of campaigning for the by-poll elections in Palghar on Saturday, an audio clip of Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, released by Shiv Sena Chief Uddhav Thackeray has gone viral. Thackeray is accusing BJP of distributing money in order to buy votes for the by-polls. In the clip, The CM Fadnavis can be heard asking the partymen to win the elections by ‘saam daam dand bhed’, which means winning either by the means of willingness or acceptance, division or punishment, by bribery or by corruption. This clip was released by Uddhav in a rally on Friday. In the video, Fadnavis can be heard telling the partymen that it isn’t elections, but a “fight” and anyone who has BJP’s blood in its veins cannot keep quiet, and would have to teach a lesson to betrayers. The Sena twisted my audio clip and presented it before the people to misguide them. "The full audio clip is 14 minutes long. I will myself submit this audio clip to the Election Commission," Fadnavis was quoted by news agency PTI while addressing a poll rally in suburban Vasai. The chief minister alleged that the Sena had edited the clip. The video clip comes a day after a verbal spat took place between Thackeray and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. Yogi and Thackeray pointed fingers at each other while campaigning for Palghar. While Adityanath blamed the Shiv Sena of backstabbing the BJP, Thackeray accused the BJP of sending an outsider who could not even win an election in his own constituency.