NAGPUR, April 5 -- Former Maharashtra minister and Prahar Janshakti Party chief Bachchu Kadu has been booked for criminal conspiracy for allegedly plotting the murder of BJP MLA Pravin Tayade's cousin, Abhijit Tayade, through a "staged" road accident. Abhijit Tayade, who manages the BJP's public outreach in Achalpur, in the Amravati district, recently lodged a complaint alleging that Kadu orchestrated the plot to eliminate him as part of a larger strategy to politically weaken his rival, MLA Pravin Tayade. Acting on the complaint, Chandur Bazar police registered a case against Kadu and three others, triggering a tense political atmosphere across the district. The rivalry between Kadu and Tayade has been intense, especially after Tayade defeated the seasoned Prahar leader by over 12,000 votes in the 2024 Assembly elections in a triangular contest. According to the complaint, the alleged conspiracy was hatched during a meeting at Kadu's residence in Kuralpurna in December last year. Abhijit claimed that Kadu, along with aides including Shubham alias Golu Mahore, discussed plans to engineer a fatal accident targeting him. In a dramatic twist, a "confidential witness" allegedly recorded the conversation secretly. The audio clip, stored on a pen drive, was handed over to the police as key evidence and is being shared widely on social media.In the alleged audio recording, Kadu is purportedly heard saying: "Kill the person. It will cost only Rs.2-3 lakhs...Make it look like an accident." The audio recording has been sent for forensic analysis to verify its authenticity. Based on preliminary findings, police have booked Kadu, Mahore, and an unidentified individual under Sections 61 (criminal conspiracy), 55 (abetment of offence) and 58 (concealing design to commit offence) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). Dismissing the allegations as baseless, Kadu launched a sharp counterattack, accusing the BJP of attempting to silence him ahead of a planned agitation for farmers and labourers. "This is a politically motivated conspiracy to defame me," he said, alleging misuse of administrative machinery. Questioning the timing of the complaint, Kadu pointed out that the alleged incident dates back to December, while the FIR was filed only in April. "It clearly indicates a pre-planned attempt to frame me," he asserted. Kadu further claimed that his party workers were being bribed and intimidated to fabricate evidence against him. Striking a defiant tone, he said he was unafraid of arrest and announced that he would proceed with his scheduled Everest Base Camp expedition. Meanwhile, Vishal Anand, superintendent of police (SP), Amravati (rural) district, confirmed that the complaint and the pen drive had been received. "Preliminary verification suggests the allegations appear credible, which led to the registration of the FIR. The audio clip and related evidence will undergo forensic examination before further legal action," he said. The investigation has been assigned to police inspector Ashok Jadhav of Chandur Bazar police station, he added....