Builder and BJP M.P. Sanjay Seth accused of cheating thousands in Lucknow

Turncoats have many a times queered the pitch for the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) in Uttar Pradesh and seems this time around, the same story is going to be repeated. The plot this time revolves around Sanjay Seth, the owner of well known construction company, Shalimar Corp Limited. Seth was the state treasurer of Samajwadi Party which also nominated him to the Rajya Sabha in 2016. He later switched sides to the BJP and is now a Rajya Sabha Member from the saffron party since September 16, 2019.

What is the case all about ?

It was on August 23, 2006, when the Lucknow Development Authority (LDA) granted a licence (no. 859) to Messers A N S Constructions Limited for development of an Integrated Township in Baghamau Village of Lucknow. The company, in turn, issued advertisements for sale of plots measuring 200, 300 and 500 square yards, through newspapers and hoardings and booked plots after taking twenty percent advance of the total cost of plots from about four thousand person for development of a 226 acre Integrated Township.

But, the licence, issued for two years (i.e. August 22, 2008), due to reasons best known to the Lucknow Development Authority (LDA), was cancelled on two months before this date. On February 16, 2010, a new licence for an Integrated Township was issued by the LDA vide licence number 161 and the land was transferred to Messers Shalimar One World, an entity of Shalimar Group, which is owned by Sanjay Seth. The claim of the 4000 odd persons who had paid 20 percent advance for plots was set aside and the plots were sold to separate persons in the name of Multi-Storey Apartments.

Disgruntled first allottees/owners formed an organisation under the banner of M Tech Kalyan Samiti and complained of this misdeed of Sanjay Seth’s Shalimar Group to various officials of the Uttar Pradesh Government, LDA, RERA etc but to no awail. In the meantime, the name of the firm was changed from A N S Constructions to A N S Developers Limited to Shalimar Beveldere to Shalimar Lake CIty Private Limited and then finally back to A N S Developers Limited.

Land owners allege that Sanjay Seth, the businessman, is a turncoat and has been shifting loyalties between the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), Samajwadi Party and Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) as and when government in the state changes, just to get a political shield against his misdeeds and misdoings. They say that apart from government offices, LDA and RERA, they have sent complaints in this regard to the office of the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, Prime Minister Office, Home Minister Office.

The case takes political colour

As the elections for the Uttar Pradesh Assembly are scheduled to be held in early 2022 and the countdown to the same has already begun, this matter is taking political colour in Lucknow and Uttar Pradesh. The members of the M Tech Kalyan Samiti say that they had sent a formal complaint about this matter to Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath about four years ago but no cognizance was taken on it by the office of the Chief Minister. They say that if no action is taken against Sanjay Seth and the misdeeds of his company, they will not vote for the BJP this time. They also add that they would be asking all their friends, relatives and aquainteces not to vote for the BJP as the party has been continously shielding a builder who has duped them of their hard-earned money and continues to roam scot free for years together now.