Bengaluru, Jan 13: The Enforcement Directorate has attached properties worth Rs 1.92 crore of a Karnataka executive engineer under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, according to an agency press release.

The ED said it initiated investigation under the act against L Raghu, an executive engineer in the national highways, based on an FIR and charge sheet filed by the Karnataka Lokayukta, it stated.

Raghu had allegedly acquired disproportionate assets from 1987 to 2012, the release said.

"Investigation conducted by the ED (Enforcement Directorate) revealed that the accused has illegally acquired 11 immovable properties in Bengaluru and Mandya districts of Karnataka, while working as a public servant in various capacities," the agency said in the release.

The ED said these immovable properties comprise plots, residential and commercial properties worth Rs 1.92 crore, which were generated out of proceeds of crime. Hence, they have been provisionally attached under PMLA, it said.

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Mumbai (PTI): Mahayuti alliance's new government in Maharashtra will be formed on December 5 with Devendra Fadnavis emerging as the frontrunner to become the next chief minister again, a senior BJP leader said on Saturday.

In the November 20 Maharashtra assembly polls, the Mahayuti alliance of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena and Ajit Pawar's Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) retained power, pocketing a whopping 230 of the 288 assembly seats. The BJP emerged as the single largest party, winning 132 seats, followed by Shiv Sena with 57 and NCP with 41 seats.

However, even after the announcement of poll results a week ago (on November 23), the formation of the government has been delayed as the tripartite alliance is yet to decide on who will be the next chief minister. Shinde, Fadnavis and Pawar met BJP president J P Nadda and Union minister Amit Shah late Thursday to discuss a power-sharing pact for the next government.

A key Mahayuti meeting scheduled on Friday was put off and likely to take place on Sunday now as caretaker Chief Minister Eknath Shinde headed to his native village in Satara district, delaying government formation further.

The BJP leader, who did not wish to be quoted, said the swearing-in of the new government will take place on December 5.

Senior BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis, who was the chief minister twice and deputy chief minister in the last government, is the frontrunner for the top post, the leader said.

Another senior BJP leader said the chief minister's swearing-in ceremony will take place at Azad Maidan in south Mumbai.

But before that, a meeting will be held on December 2 to pick the BJP legislature party leader, he said.

Caretaker CM Shinde has made it clear that he will fully support BJP leadership's decision to name the next CM, and that he won't be a hurdle in the process, while Ajit Pawar-led NCP has backed Fadnavis for the chief minister's post.

In the assembly elections, Congress-led Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) suffered a setback. The grand old party registered one of its worst performances in the state assembly polls after it won only 16 seats. Sharad Pawar's NCP (SP) could bag only 10 seats, whereas Uddhav Thackeray's (UBT) won 20.