NCP leader Dhananjay Munde was under fire for allegedly making obscene comments against his cousin and Maharashtra minister Pankaja Munde at an election rally. An FIR has been lodged against Munde, a police official said on Sunday.

The officer further said, a video purportedly showing the NCP leader making these remarks against the minister went viral on social media,following which Parly’s BJP president Jugal Kishor Lohiya, filed a police complaint against him on Saturday.

However, the NCP leader denied the allegations and said the clip has been edited and is fake and his remarks have been “distorted”. Both the cousins are fighting an in an electoral battle from Parli segment for Monday’s Maharashtra Assembly elections.

Pankaja Munde, the sitting BJP MLA from Parli, is the daughter of late party leader Gopinath Munde. “Acting on the complaint, the FIR was lodged late Saturday night against Dhananjay Munde under various sections of the Indian Penal Code,”the police official said.

Lohiya in his complaint said the NCP leader allegedly made the obscene remarks against the BJP minister at a public meeting held at Vida village in Kej tehsil on October 17.

The BJP has also complained to the Election Commission and the women’s commission against the NCP leader’s remarks. Some BJP workers also burnt his effigy at Shirur-Kasar tehsil here on Saturday night.

Dhananjay Munde in his defense said the clip was being circulated on social media by “distorting” his comments to”deliberately” defame him.

In a statement issued on Facebook late Saturday night, he demanded that the authenticity of the “edited” clip be tested in a forensic laboratory. Those who have “edited” the clip should at least respect the holy relationship of brother and sister, the leader of opposition in the state Legislative Council said.

The NCP leader said he is contesting the election only on the issue of development, and asked his detractors not to stoop low by giving an emotional twist to it. “It is an edited clip, distorts my statement and deliberately defames me. The clip is completely fake and its authenticity must be tested in forensic lab.”

Dhananjay Munde further alleged that an emotional twist was being given to the election in the constituency as he has been receiving huge response from the people, causing fear of defeat in the minds of his rivals. The NCP leader further said he did not use bad words about any of his rivals, despite him being labelled as “monster”. “I did principle-based politics yesterday and doing it today. I have done ‘kanyadaan’ of my 1,500 sisters (girls). I will never use wrong words about any woman. Hence, workers and citizens should not believe in rumours,” he added.

The Assembly elections of Maharashtra will be held in a single phase on October 21, 2019. Counting of votes will take place on October 24 and the results will be out on the same day, the Election Commission (EC) announced.

The Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party are contesting on 125-123 seats each, while other allies are contesting the remaining 41 in the polls this time.

Out of 288 assembly seats in Maharastra, Shiv Sena has announced to contest on 124 seats while BJP will contest on 164 seats with smaller allies.

In the 2014 Maharashtra assembly polls, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) emerged as the single largest party with 122 seats and the Shiv Sena, which also fought separately, secured 63. The Congress secured 42 seats, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) 41 seats while others managed 20.

(With inputs from PTI)