Maharashtra civic polls: At Kharghar society, residents given ‘gift’ envelope of 4 Rs 500 notes; workers flee as vote-buying exposed

NAVI MUMBAI: On Tuesday, around 9.30pm, doorbells started ringing at a housing society in Kharghar. Residents opened their door and found half-a-dozen workers of a national party canvassing for their candidates.

No one suspected anything amiss as the men asked for the names of the voters in the house, and gave voting slips, detailing polling booth location and number. They requested the residents to vote for their candidate and exchanged smiles and greetings. But then came the unusual: the men handed over an envelope. "A gift," they said. The ‘gift' was four crisp Rs 500 notes. There was one envelope for each voter in the house. By the time the voter realised the ‘gift' value, the men had moved to the next door. Repeating the same ritual. Request, smile, cash envelope. Tring Tring.


But one of the beneficiaries felt a little uncomfortable and called this reporter who lives in the same society.

As the reporter, without informing them that he is with TOI, asked them if they were indeed delivering cash for votes, they stayed silent. Soon, a resident alerted the men that some in the society were not too happy with their brazen act. When this reporter asked the men which party they belonged to and flagged the illegality of their act, they made a hasty retreat. At the end of it, this reporter also spotted a pick-up van, visibly full of cash, parked right outside the housing society, waiting for the men.