Controversial Rise: Pangarkar Elected Amidst Backdrop of Infamy

Shrikant Pangarkar, accused in Gauri Lankesh's 2017 killing, was elected as a corporator in Maharashtra's Jalna Municipal Corporation. Running as an independent, he defeated BJP's Raosaheb Dhoble. Pangarkar's controversial past includes a 2018 arrest under multiple acts. The BJP, leading in the civic polls, is poised to control the corporation.

Shrikant Pangarkar, accused in the notorious 2017 killing of journalist-activist Gauri Lankesh, won a seat as a corporator from the Jalna Municipal Corporation in Maharashtra on Friday.

The election results, from 29 civic bodies across the state, started rolling in after polling was conducted just a day earlier. Pangarkar contested as an Independent in ward No. 13 and managed to secure 2,661 votes, narrowly beating out BJP's Raosaheb Dhoble, who garnered 2,477 votes, according to a poll official.

Pangarkar's past is marred with controversy, with his 2018 arrest under numerous acts including the Explosives Act following the widespread outrage of Lankesh's murder. Having previously served in the Jalna Municipal Council from 2001 to 2006, he aligned himself with the Hindu Janjagruti Samiti after breaking away from Shiv Sena in 2011. While the BJP leads in the Jalna civic polls, it is in contention for control against alliances from other major parties.

(With inputs from agencies.)