03 January,2017 07:15 AM IST | | Laxman Singh
Shiv Sena worker catches sitting corporator and local area leader demanding bribe to allot reserved Govandi seat to wife; his complaint to party high command falls on deaf ears
Shiv Sena deputy area chief Shantaram Patil (left) at an event with the complainant Manoj Singh (centre) and his wife Geeta Singh
Just weeks away from the BMC elections, the Shiv Sena seems to have been cheque-mated by one of its own. A Sena worker has complained that party officials demanded a bribe of Rs 20 lakh in exchange for a poll ticket for his wife - an allegation he has backed up with a cheque he got from the Sena deputy area chief for Govandi, allegedly returning part of the bribe money.
Complainant Singh was handed this cheque by Patil, allegedly returning part of the bribe
At a time when Shiv Sena is already battling allegations from opposition parties, as well as its ally-turned-enemy BJP, this accusation from inside the party is likely to cause even more damage. What's more, the complainant has provided plenty of evidence to support the allegation, and has taken his complaint straight to the top, writing a letter to party chief Uddhav Thackeray to expose the ticket-selling racket.
Local leader Shantaram Patil (in white) with Geeta Singh and her husband Manoj, handing out goodies to voters
The complainant, Manoj Singh, is a local party worker for Sena in Govandi, and also heads the Uttar Bhartiya Samaj Trust there. He was keen that his wife Geeta fight the upcoming civic election, for which he approached the Sena officer bearers in Govandi, including area head (vibhag pramukh) Rajendra Raut, deputy area head (up-vibhag pramukh) Shantaram Patil and ward chief (shakha pramukh) Arjun Shinde.
Manoj Singh (left) with Sena area chief Rajendra Raut at his home
Voice recordings
Manoj alleged that for the price of Rs 20 lakh, the officials promised his wife would get a ticket for ward number 135 (Mankhurd-Mandala), which was reserved for ladies after the delimitation of ward boundaries. He made voice recordings of his conversations with the officials, during which they allegedly demanded the bribe and assured him his wife would get the ticket for certain.
"I have all the documents to prove the bribe demand by these three people. Shantaram Patil called and told me that we don't have any candidates for ward number 135. He assured me he would get the ticket for my wife, provided I pay him Rs 20 lakh. I agreed, and paid Rs 10 lakh to him in October," Manoj told mid-day.
Growing demands
"Initially, I was happy as I was assured about getting the work done, but later the Sena officer bearers demanded more money. When I got in touch with Raut, he asked for another R20 lakh. I refused, as it was beyond my capacity to meet their demands," he added.
"On behalf of Raut, local shakha pramukh Arjun Shinde asked me to pay another R20 lakh. Arjun Shinde told him to give R5 lakh as a token amount and assured he would speak to Raut my his behalf. After this I got call from Raut and he told me to hold campaign events in the ward, so that people would get to know that my wife is contesting the election from there," complained Manoj in his letter to Uddhav Thackeray, adding that he also has a recording of the telephonic conversation with Shinde.
Refund cheque
Manoj asked Patil to return his money and, in December, Patil finally returned part of the money - R5 lakh - through a cheque (mid-day has a copy). But Manoj was left with a bitter taste in the mouth as he was made to run from pillar to post for the rest of his money. "Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray had said in a recent rally that he wanted to know who was demanding money for election ticket, so I wrote to him about the incident," he said.
The Other Side
Shantaram Patil, who migrated to Sena from the Samajwadi Party, refuted the allegations and said it was a ploy to malign his image. "Singh's allegations are absolutely baseless and I did not demand any money for from him. I only helped him to file his wife's application. I am no authority to promise anyone about ticket since I had also joined party some time back."
Asked about the incriminating cheque, Patil responded, "Post demonetisation, Manoj Singh had given me R5 lakh cash, so I returned it with a cheque."
Raut too echoed denial, "All these allegations are false. I know Manoj, since he came to my home with Shantaram Patil. The final candidates are yet to be selected and Singh's wife name is still there in the race." Asked about the voice recording in which he is heard assuring Manoj that his wife would get the ticket, he said, "I have said the same thing to all the probable candidates - to hold programmes in their area. But I did not promise them anything."
Ward chief Shinde also said the allegation was false, adding, "Ours is the only party which gives tickets on merit basis. I know Singh, since he was wanted to field his wife on the Sena ticket. But there was no talk of money."
