Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, and national party spokesperson Supriya Shrinate were all served with a legal notice by BJP national general secretary Vinod Tawde on Friday for making "baseless allegations" against him following his alleged involvement in the distribution of cash for votes on the eve of the Maharashtra Assembly elections.

Tawde denied the accusations, but the Opposition claimed that he used unethical tactics by giving out money to sway the elections in favor of the BJP.  According to the letter that Tawde's attorney sent, the Congress leaders were required to "apologise unconditionally to Vinod Tawde within 24 hours of receiving the notice" and have the apology posted on X as well as in at least three regional and English-language newspapers. The letter also states that if the Congress leaders do not comply, a criminal case and legal actions totaling Rs 100 crore will be initiated.

“The only work of Congress is to spread lies! I have sent a defamation notice to Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi, and party spokesperson Supriya Shrinate in the false Nallasopara case because they have tried to malign my image and that of the Bharatiya Janata Party by spreading lies in this matter…the truth is clear — the alleged ₹5 crore was never recovered in the investigation by the Election Commission and the police,” said Tawde in a post on X. Tawde stated that the BJP "stands tall, backed by truth and the people's trust!" after the case revealed the Congress's "low-level politics and their desperate attempts to mislead the nation."

On November 20, the day before the polling, Bahujan Vikas Aghadi (BVA) activists accused Tawde and other BJP workers of handing out money at a hotel in Vasai-Virar. The BVA activists surrounded Tawde and demanded an explanation. A video was shared showing BVA workers holding and waving Rs 500 notes. Even though the BVA was unable to provide clear evidence to support the accusations, the episode left the BJP looking foolish on election eve. Tawde strongly rejected all the accusations, calling them unfounded. Senior BJP leaders also supported Tawde, claiming that the charge of money distribution was part of the Opposition's plan to damage the party's image and its national general secretary.