Gauri Lankesh murder accused wins Jalna civic poll as Independent
Gauri Lankesh murder accused wins Jalna civic poll as Independent
Pangarkar, linked to the 2017 Gauri Lankesh killing, wins a Jalna Municipal Corporation seat as an Independent, amid Maharashtra's civic poll coverage.
Shrikant Pangarkar, an accused in the 2017 killing of journalist-activist Gauri Lankesh, won a Jalna Municipal Corporation seat as an Independent by contesting Ward No. 13. He defeated Raosaheb Dhoble of the BJP with 2,661 votes to 2,477, according to a poll official.
Counting for 29 civic bodies in Maharashtra was underway as results poured in. Pangarkar had run as an Independent after being denied a party ticket earlier; Shiv Sena was the only major party to not field against him.
Pangarkar has a long and controversial history: he was arrested in August 2018 by the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad under the Explosives Act, the Explosive Substances Act, and the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act, but was granted bail by the Karnataka High Court on September 4, 2024. He previously served on the Jalna Municipal Council from 2001 to 2006 and later joined the Hindu Janjagruti Samiti after losing a party ticket in 2011.
Gauri Lankesh was shot dead outside her Bengaluru residence on September 5, 2017, in a case that sparked widespread outrage. The Jalna result adds another chapter to Maharashtra's crowded civic-poll landscape, with the BJP aiming to expand its control in the Jalna Municipal Corporation.
