Maharashtra: Economic Offences Wing summons Shiv Sena leader Anil Desai over fund withdrawal complaint

Anil Desai, leader of the Shiv Sena (UBT) faction  has been summoned by the Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of the Mumbai police in connection with a complaint filed by the Shiv Sena (Eknath Shinde) faction. Desai is set to appear for questioning on March 5 as part of an investigation into allegations of fund withdrawal by the Uddhav Thackeray-led faction.

The dispute traces back to the Shiv Sena split in June of the preceding year initiated by Eknath Shinde who orchestrated a political coup within the party, subsequently forming an alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and securing the Chief Minister's post for himself.

The Election Commission officially recognized the Shinde faction as the legitimate Shiv Sena in February 2023. However, tensions have persisted, leading to the recent summons of Anil Desai by the EOW.
According to Mumbai police sources, the Shinde faction has accused the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) of withdrawing party funds even after the Election Commission's recognition of Shinde's faction as the authentic representation of the party.

The EOW, tasked with probing the details of the fund withdrawal and identifying the individuals responsible, has obtained information from the concerned bank officer. The agency is actively investigating the circumstances surrounding the alleged fund misappropriation.

Balaji Kinikar, the Treasurer of the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena, took the matter to Mumbai Commissioner of Police Vivek Phansalkar, lodging a formal complaint of fraud and forgery against officials of Shiv Sena (UBT) on January 30. Kinikar alleged that the rival faction had been misusing PAN and TAN details, engaging in fraudulent activities such as filing TDS and income tax returns on behalf of the party.