Gauri Lankesh murder accused wins as independent in Jalna civic polls

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar: Shrikant Pangarkar, one of the 18 accused facing trial in the 2017 murder of journalist Gauri Lankesh in Bengaluru and currently out on bail, won as an independent candidate by defeating his BJP rival Raosaheb Dhoble in a contest for Ward 13 in the Jalna Municipal Corporation.Pangarkar secured 2,661 votes, while Dhoble polled 2,477 votes. Following the announcement of the results, Pangarkar's supporters gathered in the area and celebrated his victory.Pangarkar contested the Jalna civic polls as an independent despite his long association with Shiv Sena in the past as a member of then Jalna Municipal Council from 2001 to 2011. In the run-up to the 2024 state assembly elections, Pangarkar was appointed by the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena as the party's assembly election campaign committee chief for the Jalna constituency. The appointment drew sharp criticism from political opponents, civil society groups and sections of the media due to the pending criminal cases. Following the backlash, Shiv Sena chief and Maharashtra deputy chief minister Eknath Shinde withdrew the responsibility given to Pangarkar in Oct 2024. Despite the controversies surrounding his legal background and earlier political appointments, Pangarkar entered the 2026 Jalna civic elections as an independent candidate and emerged victorious.Pangarkar was arrested in Aug 2018 as one of the conspirators in the murder of Gauri Lankesh on Sept 5, 2017, in Bengaluru. The killing triggered nationwide outrage and intense debates on freedom of expression, dissent and political intolerance.Pangarkar, also an accused in the 2018 Nalasopara arms haul case, was granted bail by the Bombay high court in Aug 2024 in the case investigated by the Maharashtra anti-terrorism squad (ATS). Later, on Sept 4, 2024, the Karnataka high court ordered his release on bail in the Lankesh murder case.The Karnataka high court, while granting him and three others bail on grounds of parity with four co-accused released earlier on bail, noted that the petitioners were not present at the spot of the crime on the day of the incident and there was no likelihood of the trial getting over in the near future.