Just as voting ends across the country, Sharad Pawar's party, the Nationalist Congress Party, has been asked to explain huge cash deposits in a bank in Maharashtra.

The Income Tax department has asked the party to account for more than 35 crores that were placed in a state-run bank between April 2, 2013 and April 9 of this year. 

The party, which co-governs Maharashtra with the Congress, has, through a chartered accountancy firm, asked for some time to prepare its response.

The notice was sent to it on April 23, a day before Mumbai voted.

The Congress and Mr Pawar's party have been in power in Maharashtra for over a decade. NDTV's opinion poll shows that the opposition BJP-Shiv Sena alliance will win most of the 48 parliamentary seats in the state. In a few months from now, assembly elections will also be held in the state. CASANSAAR (NDTV)