BSP supremo Mayawati addressing a party meeting in the view of UP Assembly polls at the party office in Lucknow on Sunday. (PTI Photo)

In another blow to Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati ahead of the Uttar Pradesh Assembly election 2017, a report has claimed that companies run by her brother Anand Kumar made “abnormal” profits up to 18,000% over a period of seven years. Out of the seven years under probe, Mayawati served as Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister for five years between 2007-2012. Kumar’s exponential profits have now come under the Income Tax department scanner, according to Times Now.

The news channel reported that assets worth Rs 1300 crore of Kumar are being probed by the I-T department. Calling it the biggest political scandal of the new year, Times Now said, Kumar owns at least 12 big companies. Kumar’s Rs 1316 crore assets under probe include Rs 440 crore cash and Rs 870 crore in fixed assets including lands.

According to the report, the probe has revealed ghost companies run by Kumar. One of the companies named Dia Realtors Pvt Ltd made an unbelievable 45257% profit in the 7-year period.

#WATCH @TimesNow EXCLUSIVE report showing the companies of Mayawati’s brother that made ‘abnormal’ profits when she was CM #BhaiKaMayaJaal pic.twitter.com/Y2P0xYmyz6 — TIMES NOW (@TimesNow) January 9, 2017

The latest revelation against Mayawati’s brother comes two weeks after the Enforcement Directorate (ED) detected that around Rs 104 crore was deposited in two accounts, including the one belonging to Kumar and the one of BSP. On December 26, ED detected cash deposits totalling over Rs 104 crore in an account belonging to the BSP and Rs 1.43 crore in an account belonging to party Supremo Mayawati’s brother in a branch of United Bank of India (UBI) in Delhi.

Sensational @TimesNow INVESTIGATION reveals the ‘ghost’ companies of BSP supremo Mayawati’s brother Anand Kumar #BhaiKaMayaJaal pic.twitter.com/mDUiHKFD4y — TIMES NOW (@TimesNow) January 9, 2017

Officials had said that Enforcement Directorate, as part of its routine survey and enquiry operations to check suspicious and huge cash deposits in banks, visited the Karol Bagh branch of UBI and found huge deposits made in these two accounts post-demonetisation. Sources further said that officials examined records of the deposits made in the BSP account and found that while Rs 102 crore was deposited in banned Rs 1,000 notes, the rest Rs 3 crore was deposited in the old Rs 500 notes.

The BSP initially refused to comment on the ED revelation. Later, Mayawati launched an attack against PM Modi, accusing him of indulging in vendetta as she had opposed demonetisation.

In poll-bound Uttar Pradesh, Mayawati, however, couldn’t find political support from other parties. This is in contrast to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee who found support from Congress when CBI arrested two TMC MPs for their alleged involvement in the Rose Valley chit fund scam.

The twin revelations of alleged corruption by BSP and Mayawati’s brother have set in motion the BSP leader’s political isolation in Uttar Pradesh. Will 2017 be the endgame for her political journey?