MUMBAI, NOV 20 : Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) fleader Sanjay Raut on Monday posted a picture on his official social media account alleging that Chandrashekhar Bawankule, the Maharashtra Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chief from Nagpur, was engaged in gambling at a casino in Macau. However, the BJP leader denied the allegation.

Raut claimed that the leader incurred a loss of Rs 3.50 crore during a single night of gambling at the casino.

Raut claimed that the photograph was captured during the leader’s gambling session inside a Macau casino. He criticised the state BJP chief stating that while Maharashtra is grappling with the challenges of the Maratha protectorate, the mentioned leader is reportedly occupied with gambling activities in Macau.

Raut encouraged users to zoom in on the photo to verify whether the person depicted in the gambling scene is indeed Chandrashekhar Bawankule.

Raut claimed that the photograph was taken at midnight on Sunday, November 19, at the Veneshine Casino in Macau

.Soon after the image went viral, Bawankule issued a clarification stating that he was sitting at a restaurant which also had a casino when the image was clicked.

“I was staying at a hotel in Macau along with my family. On the ground floor of this hotel, there is a restaurant and a casino. After dinner, I was sitting at the restaurant along with my family when this photo was clicked,” he said.

The BJP put out a picture of Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray attending a social gathering recently held in honour of English footballer David Beckham. As Thackeray is seen holding a glass in the photo, the BJP asked what he was drinking.

“Our state president has never gambled in his life. This area is in the vicinity of a place where he was staying with his family. However those whose life has been gambled away can’t see beyond it. Please tell us (Sanjay Raut) as to what brand of whiskey is in Aaditya Thackeray’s glass,” the state BJP unit wrote on X, formerly Twitter.(UNI)