Gauri Lankesh murder case accused Pangarkar wins Jalna civic poll as Independent
Pangarkar’s victory in the Jalna Municipal Corporation election sparks fresh political debate amid ongoing Maharashtra local body poll results
Independent candidate Shrikant Pangarkar, an accused in Gauri Lankesh murder case, has secured victory in Jalna Municipal Corporation elections, triggering a fresh round of debate in Maharashtra politics.
Pangarkar contested from Ward 13 against candidates from the BJP and several other parties. The Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena, however, did not field a candidate in the ward.
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In 2024, Pangarkar had joined the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena ahead of the Assembly polls, leading to public outcry. He contested the civic polls as an Independent. Earlier, he served as a corporator in the Jalna municipal council between 2001 and 2006 when the Shiv Sena was still undivided. After failing to secure a ticket in 2011, he moved to the Hindu Janjagruti Samiti, a right-wing outfit.
He has been named as an accused in the murder of veteran journalist Gauri Lankesh, who was shot dead outside her home in Bengaluru in September 2017.
Also read: Gauri Lankesh trial begins five years after murder
Following the announcement of the results, Pangarkar was seen in a video circulating online celebrating the victory with his supporters in Jalna, Maharashtra.
Counting trends
As counting is underway, trends from 210 of the 227 wards indicate that the BJP and its ally, the Shiv Sena (Shinde), are ahead in the high-stakes BMC elections in Mumbai.
Going by the trends, the Mahayuti alliance is poised to cross the majority mark of 114 needed to wrest power in the BMC. In Thane, Shinde's stronghold, his party was leading in 18 of the 131 wards, while ally BJP was ahead in 10, TV channels reported.
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The Thackeray cousins, who reunited after two decades ahead of Thursday's poll, were trailing behind the ruling alliance in Mumbai, with the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena-UBT ahead in 60 wards and Raj Thackeray-led Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) ahead in 9 seats.