Manoj Jarange Patil Audio Clip Controversy Rs 500 Crore Allegation Triggers Political Earthquake in Maharashtra

JALNA, 22 October 2026 Maharashtra politics has once again witnessed a fierce confrontation between Maratha reservation agitation leader Manoj Jarange Patil and Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. The reason this time is a major allegation involving Rs 500 crore and an audio clip presented by Jarange Patil as evidence.

The matter began on 21 October at the Dussehra rally held at Narayangad in Beed. From the stage, Jarange Patil claimed that Eknath Shinde had told the top BJP leadership in Delhi that he had given Rs 500 crore to Manoj Jarange Patil. Jarange alleged that the money was given to pacify the Maratha agitation and to bring back the Maratha community's votes in the 2024 Assembly elections.

Jarange Patil had openly challenged Shinde that if the claim was false, he should come forward and clarify, otherwise he would present audio evidence.

Reacting immediately to the allegation, Eknath Shinde said, "I have neither given Rs 500 crore to anyone nor taken it. Before making any allegation, Manoj Jarange should have verified the facts. I am ready to face any impartial inquiry."

However, the very next day, on 22 October, Manoj Jarange Patil held a press conference in Jalna and released an audio clip. According to Jarange, the clip is about 31 minutes long and is of an internal BJP Zoom meeting held during the campaign for the 2024 Maharashtra Assembly elections.

What is in the audio clip? Several people can be heard talking in the clip, including a woman speaking in Hindi. The woman is heard saying, "Manoj Jarange Patil has already been given Rs 500 crore and this amount has been given through Shrikant Shinde. Now Jarange Patil will prove beneficial for us.

Here, Shrikant Shinde is the son of Eknath Shinde and Lok Sabha MP from Kalyan. Jarange Patil alleges that this deal was made after the results of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. In that election, out of 48 seats in Maharashtra, BJP and Shiv Sena (Shinde faction) got only 16 seats, while the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) won 31 seats. The resentment of the Maratha community was considered a major reason for the defeat.

Manoj Jarange Patil has clearly stated that he has not taken any money. He said, "I have not taken even a single rupee. If I had taken Rs 500 crore, I would have distributed that money among drought-affected farmers. I have never sold my agitation. This is a well-planned conspiracy against the Maratha community.

The audio clip does not contain only the talk of Rs 500 crore. It also discusses several other strategies. In one part, a person says that Devendra Fadnavis and the BJP should remain the personal target of Jarange Patil, so that he cannot form a third front. Therefore, it is necessary to target him personally.

In another part of the clip, there is advice to strongly raise the issues of Love Jihad in Ahilyanagar and Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar. In the third part, there is a discussion on the strategy of calling those opposing the Vadhavan port in Palghar as anti-development. In the fourth part, it is being said that some foreign countries want to spread anarchy in India and they keep meeting opposition leaders like Sharad Pawar, and this message should be spread.

What does the BJP have to say about this now? Maharashtra BJP President Chandrashekhar Bawankule has distanced himself from the entire controversy. He said, "The Bharatiya Janata Party has nothing to do with this audio clip. This is a matter between Eknath Shinde and Manoj Jarange Patil."

Along with this, the BJP has questioned the authenticity of this audio clip. The BJP IT Cell has demanded a forensic investigation of this clip and to find out whether it is an AI-generated clip. The party says that in today's time, anyone's voice can be easily copied through AI.

Manoj Jarange Patil has directly demanded intervention from Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis in this matter. He said, "The Deputy CM had asked for evidence, I have given audio evidence. Now the Prime Minister and the Chief Minister should get it investigated impartially so that the truth comes out.

The Maratha reservation agitation has been the biggest political issue in Maharashtra for the last three years. Manoj Jarange Patil's hunger strikes and agitations have forced the government to bow down many times. In such a situation, this new allegation of Rs 500 crore can once again bring a major political earthquake in the state's politics.

For now, until the forensic report of this audio clip comes, it is difficult to say whether this clip is real or fake. But one thing is certain that the Jarange vs Shinde battle has now moved from the streets to an audio war.