The toppling of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government in June 2022 after the Shiv Sena split is back in the news. And this time, at the heart of it is a 62-year-old controversial figure who has long operated on the fringes of politics in the state.MVA leaders have alleged that the reason many Sena MLAs left with Eknath Shinde at the time was that they were “honeytrapped”, and that the “mastermind” was Praful Lodha. Since Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut made the allegation earlier this month, Lodha has been taken into custody by police twice, and booked for cases in Mumbai as well as Pune.AdvertisementThis spotlight is unusual for Lodha, a low-profile political figure from Pahur village in Jalgaon district, who has occasionally surfaced in photographs with political leaders, and has mostly been associated with the BJP, barring stints in the NCP and Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA).On July 7, Lodha was arrested by the Sakinaka police on accusations by a minor of assault at his bungalow after promising her a job, and of using photos to threaten her. While he was behind bars, the MIDC police on July 17 took his custody in another case, registered against him by a 19-year-old woman, of alleged sexual assault on the pretext of a job offer.Lodha faces two separate POCSO (Protection of Children from Sexual Offences) cases, and charges of rape, blackmail, illegal confinement, and using obscene content to threaten victims.AdvertisementNow, Pune Police too have registered an FIR against him under similar sections of rape.The Mumbai Police seized laptops, pen drives and other digital equipment during raids at Lodha’s properties in Jalgaon, Jamner and Pahur.Initially, the issue was raised in the Maharashtra Assembly by Congress MLA and former party state chief Nana Patole, who demanded that the Mahayuti government explain whether there had been a honeytrap operation “involving IAS officers and sitting ministers”, calling it a threat to the state’s security.Revenue Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule, who was Maharashtra BJP chief earlier, later said the Home Department and police were looking into the matter.Sena (UBT) leader Raut then claimed that more than a dozen MLAs of the Shiv Sena and four of its MPs were “trapped” through videos and blackmailed by Lodha before the party split. “It wasn’t ED or CBI pressure,” he said, adding that Lodha has “close ties with top BJP leaders”.Alleged to have been close to BJP Jamner MLA Girish Mahajan at one time, Lodha left the party in 2019 accusing him of “wrongdoing”. Mahajan ran an initiative called Arogya Doot (Health Messenger), to help patients from the Jalgaon region receive treatment in Mumbai, and Lodha was said to be actively involved in it.Having joined the NCP soon after leaving the BJP, Lodha stayed with the Sharad Pawar faction after Ajit Pawar split and joined the Mahayuti too, taking away a majority of the party MLAs. But, last year, Lodha left the NCP (SP), this time after an attack on its senior leader Eknath Khadse.Soon after, Lodha joined the VBA, which even offered him a ticket for last year’s Lok Sabha elections. However, after accepting the same, Lodha withdrew his candidature within five days.Later, Lodha made a return to the BJP. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis was present to welcome him back at an event in Jalgaon.Responding to claims of his proximity to Lodha, Mahajan said he was no longer in the BJP and had been photographed with leaders across parties over the years. That didn’t mean Lodha was close to him, Mahajan said. “The photo which is being circulated (of me with him) is around 10 years old. Then Lodha was in the BJP and was doing work for the party. But later things changed.”most readOn the allegations against Lodha, Mahajan said: “Whether the honeytrap claims or suspicions regarding the rise in his assets, they will be revealed during investigations.” At the same time, the BJP MLA questioned the honeytrap claims made by Patole and Raut.Khadse asked why the FIRs against Lodha had come soon after talk began in political circles of a honeytrap scandal. He added: “If Lodha’s past is questionable, then why did Mahajan induct him in the BJP? If Lodha was once Mahajan’s adversary, what changed? Is it connected to the honeytrap? The truth will come out sooner or later.”Asked about the probe against Lodha, an officer of the MIDC police said: “We have taken the custody of the accused and our investigation is on.”