Jalna civic polls: Gauri Lankesh murder accused Shrikant Pangarkar celebrates victory; wins ward 13 as independent candidate

JALNA: Shrikant Pangarkar, accused in the 2017 murder of journalist Gauri Lankesh, celebrated his victory with supporters after winning the Jalna Municipal Corporation elections as an independent candidate.Pangarkar contested from Ward 13, facing opponents from the BJP and several other parties. The Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena, however, did not field a candidate in the ward. Earlier, ahead of the November 2024 assembly elections, Pangarkar had joined the Shiv Sena. Following public outcry, Shinde kept his induction into the party in abeyance.Gauri Lankesh was shot dead outside her Bengaluru residence on September 5, 2017. The murder had triggered national headlines and intense debate over liberalism, secularism, and communalism in India.Pangarkar had previously been a member of the Jalna municipal council from the undivided Shiv Sena between 2001 and 2006. After the party denied him a ticket in 2011, he joined the right-wing Hindu Janjagruti Samiti.In August 2018, Pangarkar was arrested by the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) in connection with the seizure of crude bombs and weapons from across the state. He was booked under the Explosives Act, the Explosive Substances Act, and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).He was granted bail by the Karnataka High Court on September 4, 2024, in the Gauri Lankesh murder case.