6 of 14 ‘turncoats’ under central agency scanner go down in Maharashtra polls

The Shiv Sena divided successful 2022 aft Shinde walked distant with astir of the party’s MLAs and joined the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA). The improvement led to the autumn of the MVA authorities led by Uddhav Thackeray and the Shinde authorities took the reins of power. The pursuing year, the NCP divided aft Ajit Pawar walked distant with astir of the party’s MLAs and joined the ruling alliance. A ample fig of the MLAs who switched sides astatine the clip were facing probes by agencies specified arsenic the CBI, Enforcement Directorate (ED), oregon the Income-Tax Department.

As galore arsenic 8 specified turncoats oregon their kin who contested this clip were from the NCP, 5 were from the Shiv Sena, and 1 from the BJP.

While erstwhile authorities curate Chhagan Bhujbal who was jailed successful an ED lawsuit for 2 years and joined Ajit Pawar past twelvemonth won from Yevle, his nephew Sameer who is besides facing an ED probe mislaid from Nadgaon. Sameer discontinue the NCP conscionable up of the Assembly polls and contested arsenic an Independent.

Former authorities curate Nawab Malik who excessively sided with Ajit nether the shadiness of an ED probe, mislaid from Mankhurd-Shivaji Nagar. He gave up his accepted spot of Anushakti Nagar to his girl Sana who defeated Fahad Ahmed — histrion Swara Bhaskar’s hubby — who contested connected an NCP (SP) ticket.

The sympathy generated by the sidesplitting of NCP person Baba Siddiqui did not travel to the rescue of his lad Zeeshan who contested connected a enactment ticket. He mislaid to Shiv Sena (UBT) successful Bandra East. Baba Siddiqui, a erstwhile Congress leader, joined the NCP this February. The ED had earlier investigated him successful transportation with an alleged SRA scam.

In August 2021, the ED conducted searches astatine aggregate locations allegedly linked to Shiv Sena MP Bhavana Gawli successful a 2020 wealth laundering case. In June 2022, erstwhile Shinde walked retired of the Sena, Gawli sided with him and wrote to past CM Uddhav Thackeray to instrumentality a basal connected Hindutva issues. Contesting from Risod connected a Sena ticket, Gawali was relegated to the 3rd presumption down the Congress and an Independent.

Shiv Sena corporator Yashwant Jadhav and his MLA woman Yamini are nether probe by aggregate agencies, including the ED. In June 2022, Yamini walked retired of the MVA to articulation Shinde. She contested from Byculla connected a Sena summons but mislaid to the Sena (UBT).

Former Shiv Sena MP Anandrao Adsul, who was nether ED probe successful a Maharashtra cooperative case, switched to the Shinde faction. His lad Abhijit unsuccessfully contested from Daryapur connected a Sena ticket.

Shiv Sena candidates Pratap Sarnaik and Arjun Khotkar, who are some facing ED probes, however, won handsomely from their respective constituencies of Ovala-Majiwada and Jalna.

From the NCP, Ajit Pawar himself on with Dilip Walse Patil and Hasan Mushrif won from their respective constituencies of Baramati, Ambegaon, and Kagal.  All of them person faced cardinal bureau probes.