Chhattisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel faces resignation calls after ED claims Mahadev App promoters paid him Rs 508 crore

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has claimed that its probe indicates that Mahadev App promoters paid Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel Rs 508 crore. The BJP has demanded Baghel's resignation.

Senior BJP leader and former minister Brijmohan Agrawal on Friday demanded the resignation of Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel after the Enforcement Directorate (ED) claimed that its probe indicates that Mahadev App promoters paid him Rs 508 crore.

ED claims

After the ED's revelations, the chief minister must tender his resignation immediately, the BJP MLA and former state home minister said reacting to the development.

The Enforcement Directorate Friday claimed that a forensic analysis and a statement made by a cash courier have led to startling allegations that Mahadev betting app promoters have paid about Rs 508 crore to Chhattisgarh chief minister Bhupesh Baghel so far, and that these are subject matter of investigation.

The alleged agent, Asim Das, has been arrested by the agency in Raipur after it recovered Rs 5.39 crore cash from. He was allegedly sent by the app promoters from the UAE especially, to deliver large amount of cash for electioneering expenses of the ruling Congress Party.

Asim Das has admitted that the seized funds were arranged by the Mahadev app promoters to be delivered to one politician Baghel for upcoming election expenses in state of Chhattisgarh, the agency alleged in a statement.

From the questioning of Das and from forensic examination of the phone recovered from him apart from examination of an email sent by Shubam Soni one of the high ranking accused of Mahadev network many startling allegations have come forth, namely, that regular payments have been made in the past and so far around Rs 508 crore have been paid by Mahadev app promoters to Bhupesh Baghel, Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh, it said.

These are subject matter of investigation, the agency said.

The agency said these allegation are subject to investigation.

The BJP has been quick to seize on the ED's claims, with Agrawal calling for Baghel's resignation. The Congress has yet to respond to the allegations.