Shrikant Pangarkar, a suspect in the murder of veteran journalist Gauri Lankesh, has won the Jalna Municipal Corporation elections in Maharashtra as an independent candidate.
Pangarkar contested from ward 13, facing opponents from the BJP and several other parties; notably, the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena did not field a candidate in this contest. Prior to the elections, Pangarkar had joined the Shinde-led Shiv Sena, but his induction was put on hold amid public backlash.
According to PTI, Pangarkar previously served on the Jalna Municipal Council as a member of the undivided Shiv Sena from 2001 to 2006. After being denied a ticket in 2011, he joined the Hindu Janjagruti Samiti, a group associated with Hindutva militancy.
Following his electoral victory, Pangarkar celebrated with supporters, as reported in a video shared by the Press Trust of India.
Gauri Lankesh, a prominent journalist known for her criticism of Hindutva ideologies, was murdered outside her home in Bengaluru in September 2017. Pangarkar was arrested by the Karnataka Police in this connection and granted bail by the Karnataka High Court on September 4, 2024.
He was also apprehended by the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad in August 2018 for possessing crude bombs and weapons. Pangarkar faced charges under the Explosives Act, the Explosive Substances Act, and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).
In the broader context of the Maharashtra municipal corporation elections, trends indicated that the BJP and its ally, Shiv Sena, were gaining a substantial lead, with a reported advantage of over 900 seats across 29 corporations, while the constituents of the Maha Vikas Aghadi were struggling with only 118 seats.
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