Rags to riches story of arrested Shiv Sena MLA Pratap Sarnaik from autorickshaw driver to real estate tycoon

The homes and properties of Shiv Sena MLA Pratap Sarnaik were raided by the Enforcement Directorate today and his son Vihang Sarnaik was taken away for questioning amid reports of his imminent arrest. The MLA and his son are reportedly being investigated in a money-laundering case. Pratap Sarnaik started his journey in Mumbai during the mid-1980s, as a auto-rickshaw driver. His fortunes changed after her ventured into real estate business. He joined the Shiv Sena in November 2008 from the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP). In the past 12 years, Sarnaik was elected as the legislator from Ovala-Majiwada constituency in Thane thrice, rose in the party to become a key functionary in Mira-Bhayander and Thane region, and was recently appointed the party’s spokesperson. The 56-year-old Sena legislator also has keen interest in the hospitality industry with restaurants and clubs in and around Mumbai.

Sarnaik is considered close to Sena chief and Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray and is one of the key leaders for the party from Thane region.  He had declared assets worth Rs143 crore in his affidavit filed ahead of the 2019 Assembly elections. Since becoming an MLA in 2009, Sarnaik’s assets have increased by nearly 800 per cent – from Rs 16 crore in 2009 to Rs 143 crore in 2019 as per his election affidavit. Recently, Sarnaik was in the news for taking on ally-turned-foe Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) over the Anvay Naik suicide abetment case, the controversy around actor Kangana Ranaut and taking on Republic TV editor-in-chief Arnab Goswami. 

Sarnaik had also sought action against actor Kangana Ranaut who had compared Mumbai to Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). In September, Sarnaik had sought a probe into allegations of drug use against Kangana. Sarnaik had threatened that Kangana's mouth would be "broken" for her comments comparing Mumbai to PoK.His elder son, Vihang, who was detained by the ED for questioning in the alleged money laundering case, is involved in the family business. His younger son, Purvesh, is a corporator in Thane Municipal Corporation. While Purvesh is also a secretary of the Aaditya Thackeray-led Yuva Sena, the youth wing of Shiv Sena, Vihang is a member of the core team of Yuva Sena.Purvesh is married to Kashmira Patil, daughter of BJP minister Dr Ranjit Patil in the previous Devendra Fadnavis government.