MNS Chief Raj Thackeray on Friday demanded an impartial probe in the controversial Rs 500 crore audio clip row that has stirred the political landscape of Maharashtra in the last few days.

The controversy came to light after Maratha activist Manoj Jarange Patil played an audio clip during a press conference, claiming that he was offered Rs 500 crore by Shiv Sena through MP Shrikant Shinde.

The Shiv Sena Shinde faction responded, saying that this was a plot to defame Eknath Shinde. “The people speaking in the clip belong to the BJP,” Shiva Sena said. However, the BJP has also demanded an inquiry to verify the audio clip’s authenticity.

While speaking to the media, Raj Thackeray on Friday said that the question is not about the Rs 500 crore mentioned in the clip, but the real question is how the planning is being executed.

“There is an attempt to defame a person like Manoj Jarange Patil. Taking someone along, defaming them later, and breaking their support system- what is going on?” he said.

Thackeray further stated, “We also know who the speakers in this clip are. They should think about this. When power goes away, they have no idea which things will come back to haunt them. The third and most important question is: where did this clip actually come from?”

Criticising the Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis’ response, Thackeray remarked that he attempted to buy time by stating he had called for a forensic report. “Forensic reports are typically sought to verify the authenticity of audio or video evidence in serious crimes like murder, rape, and financial scams. In truth, listening to the conversation makes it clear that this is nothing short of the murder and rape of democracy,” he stated.

He added that it is fortunate the Chief Minister acknowledged the gravity of the statements and the need for an investigation.

However, Thackeray challenged the CM, saying, “If you were completely unaware of what was being discussed, you need to look into what has been operating right behind your back.” Addressing the Chief Minister’s observation that the clip is likely two years old and questioning the timing of its release, Thackeray pointed out that how and by whom the clip leaked points directly to internal “power plays and factional politics” within the government.

“Do not trap Maharashtra in a maze of technicalities and forensic reports. Maharashtra has understood what it needed to understand. You acknowledge the gravity of it; now, as Chief Minister, demonstrate to Maharashtra just how impartial you are and what action you take. Only then will this forensic report have any meaning; otherwise, it will just look like a forensic report bent to suit your convenience,” Thackeray warned.

Meanwhile, following a meeting with MNS office-bearers, Thackeray informed that he will tour drought-affected areas after Diwali to review the water scarcity situation. Pointing out the grim situation in the districts of Marathwada, he said that nothing will be achieved with the financial aid of Rs 5,000 provided by the government.

“If water planning is not done properly in Marathwada, there is a possibility that it will turn into a desert, and I have been speaking about this for a long time. However, this is not being considered,” he added.

Providing details, Thackeray stated that proper water planning is absent in Marathwada. Borewells are being dug illegally, licenses are being granted to beer factories, tap water is being sold, and water is being extracted from wells for illegal activities.

He appealed for strict planning in this regard. Currently, there is an urgent need for drinking and agricultural water. Therefore, consideration should be given to events like the Kumbh Mela and other religious programs, suggested Thackeray when asked about the upcoming Kumbh Mela in Nashik. The water crisis is going to escalate further.

The ED conducted search operations at half a dozen premises, including offices and residential properties, in Mumbai and Delhi and a farmhouse in Maharashtra in connection with the illegal receipt of foreign exchange from Dubai and Singapore by Mega Millennium Private Limited, an official said on Friday.

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) conducted the searches under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002, the official said in a statement.

Apart from inspecting digital devices and incriminating documents related to Mega Millennium Private Limited, the investigators also conducted searches at a farmhouse in Karjat, Maharashtra, the ED said.

Foreign currency, Indian currency and valuables worth several crores of rupees were also detected by the ED during the search operation, said an official.

The focus of the ED’s search operation was on Harish Dedhiya, a Mumbai-based consultant and director of the company, the statement said.

The company and its directors, including Dedhiya and his wife Dhara Dedhiya, have received large sums of foreign exchange from suspicious companies based in Dubai and Singapore, the ED said.

The ED investigation indicated that Dedhiya incorporated companies by appointing his own employees/dummies as Directors. Within a year of incorporation, these companies received hundreds of crores of rupees, which were layered through multiple shell entities, the ED said.

In a separate case in Maharashtra, the ED conducted search operations at 10 premises, including hospital/IVF centres, located in Thane, Baramati and Nashik and seized digital evidence and Rs 29 lakh in cash during the investigation in a human egg extraction racket, an official said.

The ED’s Mumbai Zonal Office-II conducted search operations on October 16 at the10 premises under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002.

The ED investigation was initiated based on an FIR and a subsequent chargesheet filed by Badlapur (East) Police Station, Thane, Maharashtra, alleging offences of cheating and forgery under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023, and violations of the Assisted Reproductive Technology (Regulation) Act, 2021, and the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940, by Manjusha Wankhede and 16 others, the ED said in a statement.

The case pertains to an organised network involved in recruiting financially vulnerable women for human egg donation and supplying them to various IVF centres and Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) banks through donor-supply agents operating under different proprietorship concerns, the agency said.

Polling for five Maharashtra Legislative Council seats, comprising three graduate and two teacher constituencies, is currently underway on Friday with 182 candidates in the fray, and their political futures sealed in ballot boxes across 2,419 polling stations.

The counting is scheduled for October 27. The polling, which started at 8 a.m. and will continue till 4 p.m., is taking place in the Pune Teachers and Pune Graduate constituencies; Amravati Teacher Constituency; Nagpur and Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar Graduate Constituencies, where the rebels have made the elections tough for both the ruling Mahayuti and Maha Vikas Aghadi.

Union Minister of State Murlidhar Mohol cast his vote at Dindayal Upadhyaya School in Kothrud, Pune. Speaking to reporters after exercising his franchise, Mohol expressed firm confidence that the ruling Mahayuti coalition will secure victories across all five constituencies.

Mohol stated that graduate and teacher voters are educated and analytical. He noted that voters evaluate national progress, global developments, and the accelerated pace of state development under Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister/Deputy CMs leadership before casting their ballots.

Addressing comparisons with cooperative body elections (such as Gokul), Mohol emphasised that cooperative and legislative council polls operate under entirely different dynamics.

He reiterated full confidence in the victory of candidates such as Smita Jadhav and Kaustubh Gawde, noting that alliance-supporting voters will firmly back the coalition.

The Higher and Technical Education Minister Chandrakant Patil also said that the Mahayuti will win all five seats.

Expressing strong confidence in the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) ahead of the Legislative Council elections, the Congress Legislature Party leader Vijay Wadettiwar predicted victories across all five seats, including the Nagpur Graduate constituency, both seats in Pune, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, and Amravati. Levelling serious allegations over electoral integrity, Wadettiwar claimed that flawed voter lists are a critical issue and asserted that the BJP resorts to manipulation in voter rolls because it cannot win elections fairly.

The Pune graduate constituency records the highest participation base with approximately 3.88 lakh voters. The Amravati teacher constituency records the smallest base with approximately 35,000 voters.

To ensure ballot validity, voters were required to present valid identification documents, including Aadhaar cards, driving licenses, PAN cards, Indian passports, government or semi-government service ID cards, MP/MLA/MLC official IDs, educational institution service IDs, or original university degree/diploma certificates.

The election process in the Nagpur graduate constituency witnessed friction following allegations of discrepancies in the voter rolls. Congress candidate Abhijit Wanjari and party leaders raised concerns over 8,744 duplicate voter entries across multiple polling booths, calling the situation a matter of serious concern.

Congress state chief spokesperson Atul Londhe alleged during a press conference that approximately 20,000 to 22,000 voter registrations were processed using a single mobile number (5432154321), and questioned the transparency of the verification process. A formal letter demanding an inquiry was submitted to the divisional commissioner by Congress leader Prafulla Goodhe.

Following complaints, election authorities at polling booths required voters with duplicate listings to execute a short written declaration confirming they were voting at only one designated location and would not cast a vote elsewhere.