Maharashtra: Congress, NCP claim BJP threatening voters with ED action due to imminent bypoll defeat in Kolhapur North Assembly

Maharashtra Congress chief Nana Patole on Monday claimed the BJP was issuing threats of ED action against voters as it was staring at defeat in the Kolhapur North Assembly bypoll scheduled for April 12.

Patole also hit out at Maharashtra BJP chief Chandrakant Patil for the latter's reported statement that a section of voters was getting money in their accounts through a digital platform.

Patil had said he would complain to the Enforcement Directorate over this and had urged voters not to invite action from the probe agency by falling for this kind of money.

"The BJP has previously targeted its political opponents using Central agencies. Now, it has gone to the extent of threatening voters. They are threatening the common people as the BJP is staring at imminent defeat," Patole told reporters here.

"The Enforcement Directorate is working as if it is a branch of the BJP. Patil is making such statements out of frustration caused by the BJP not retaining power in Maharashtra," Patole added.

State NCP chief spokesperson Mahesh Tapase also termed Patil's allegations as baseless and said the latter was speaking this way as the BJP was sensing an MVA victory in the Kolhapur North bypoll.

The BJP has pitted Satyajit Kadam against the Congress's Jayashree Jadhav for the bypoll, which was necessitated due to the death of Congress MLA Chandrakant Jadhav in December last year.