NCP to field Kalani for Assembly polls

MUMBAI: The Nationalist Congress Party has agreed to field former TADA detenu and liquor baron Suresh alias Pappu Kalani from Ulhasnagar for the coming assembly elections.
Kalani, who was arrested under the TADA, is the sitting independent MLA of Ulhasnagar.
He was first elected to the assembly on a Congress ticket in 1990, when he defeated BJP veteran Sital Harchandani.Until then, Ulhasnagar was a BJP stronghold. Kalani was subsequently arrested in connection with a series of criminal cases, including the murder of a political rival. He was incarcerated at the Nashik and Yeravada jails for nine years. While in prison, he successfully contested and won the 1995 and 1999 assembly elections by 49,000 and 54,000 votes respectively.
Though the TADA charges have been dropped, Kalani is presently being tried for murder and other alleged offences under the Indian Penal Code. Technically, he can seek re-election since he has not been convicted in any case.
Kalani and another TADA detenu and independent MLA, Bhai Thakur of Vasai, had come to the rescue of the Democratic Front government before too. The Congress as well as the NCP had then promised Kalani tickets to contest the 2004 assembly polls in return for his support.
During the recent Lok Sabha elections, Kalani had supported the NCP nominee Vasant Davkhare. Kalani, who is now on bail, has already started re-establishing his contacts with the people of Ulhasnagar. Though he faces fierce opposition from the BJP, the local unit of the BSP and the RPI (Athavale) are likely to back him.