New Delhi, Aug 2 (IANS): Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut has been arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in a money laundering case. The firebrand leader from Maharashtra was arrested by the probe agency after day-long raids at his residence and questioning in money laundering case linked to alleged irregularities in the redevelopment of a Mumbai's Patra Chawl.

The ED sleuths raided Sanjay Raut's home after the leader skipped summons twice. After his arrest, Sanjay Raut was produced before the special sessions court. The court sent the Rajya Sabha MP to the ED custody till August 4. Sanjay Raut, the most vocal face of Shiv Sena has alleged that a false case has been prepared against him to weaken his party. The arrested leader got all the support from party president Uddhav Thackeray, who praised Sanjay Raut saying that he was proud of the journalist-turned-politician. Also, the former Maharashtra chief minister attacked the ruling BJP for indulging in vendetta politics.

CVoter - IndiaTracker conducted a nationwide survey on behalf of IANS to know people's perception about the arrest of Sanjay Raut. The survey revealed that people were sharply divided in their views about the ED's action against the Shiv Sena leader. During the survey, while 52 per cent respondents said that the investigating agency had done the right thing by arresting Sanjay Raut, 48 per cent respondents shared a completely opposite opinion.

Predictably, the NDA and opposition voters were divided on political lines in their views on the issue. During the survey, while the majority of NDA voters - 67 per cent said that the ED action against the Shiv Sena parliamentarian was correct, the majority of opposition supporters - 58 per cent viewed the arrest as vendetta.

The survey further highlighted that both the urban and rural voters were also divided in their views about the arrest of Sanjay Raut. During the survey, while 53 per cent urban voters justified the action of the investigating agency, 47 per cent did not share the sentiment. Similarly, while 51 per cent rural voters upheld the ED's action against the Shiv Sena MP, 49 per cent completely disagreed.