Kolkata, Dec 7 (Agencies) : A Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader has been reportedly arrested in West Bengal’s Kolkata with Rs 10 lakh cash. The leader, identified as Manish Sharma was carrying Rs 10 lakh in new notes of Rs 2,000. According to NDTV, Rs 10 lakh of cash was seized from Sharma, whereas, another Rs 23 lakh from apprehended from his six associates. News website Quint has also confirmed the arrest of Manish Sharma.

The apprehended BJP member was reportedly the party’s candidate from Raniganj assembly seat in the recently conducted West Bengal Assembly elections. He had lost the seat to CPI(M) candidate against him. Manish Sharma had reportedly finished at the third spot with 18 per cent votes.

The cash being seized from the BJP leader would provide fresh ammunition to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to lash out at the Narendra Modi government over demonetisation. The Trinamool Congress (TMC) supremo, along with Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, has been leading the anti-demonetisation charge.

This is the second arrest of a BJP associated member carrying cash in new currency notes. On November 28, a BJP functionary in Salem was arrested with more than Rs 20 lakh in cash. The arrested member was identified as JVR Arun, the youth wing secretary of BJP’s Salem unit. He was found with 926 notes of new Rs 2000. Interestingly, Arun had extensively praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Facebook after the decision to demonetize the currency was taken on November 8.

Social media went abuzz on Tuesday evening with the breaking news of BJP member Manish Sharma’s arrest in West Bengal.