NEW DELHI: Maharashtra civic election results have put the spotlight on tainted corporators, as candidates with criminal backgrounds won several seats in the corporation polls.The poll results brought attention to politicians with criminal backgrounds as some of the winners celebrated their victory from jail. From gangster’s family, jailed women, Gauri Lankesh murder accused, some winners from the local polls grabbed national attention. In Pune, two relatives of gangster Suryakant alias Bandu Andekar, currently lodged in jail in connection with the murder of his grandson, were elected from Ward No. 23 in the civic polls on Friday. In Pune, Sonali Andekar, Bandu Andekar’s daughter-in-law, and his sister-in-law Laxmi Andekar were fielded by the Ajit Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (NCP). The party had faced sharp criticism from the Bharatiya Janata Party for nominating candidates with criminal backgrounds.Sonali Andekar is the wife of former NCP corporator Vanraj Andekar, who was murdered on September 1, 2024, in Pune’s Nana Peth area. Vanraj was allegedly killed by Ganesh Komkar, the husband of one of Vanraj’s two sisters, following a property dispute. Exactly a year later, in 2025, Ganesh Komkar’s 19-year-old son Ayush Komkar was murdered, allegedly in an act of revenge.Bandu Andekar, his son Krushna Andekar, Sonali Andekar, Laxmi Andekar, and others were arrested in the Ayush Komkar murder case. While Bandu, Sonali, and Laxmi are currently in judicial custody, the NCP went ahead and offered tickets to the two women candidates from the ward, triggering widespread criticism.In a closely contested fight, Sonali Andekar defeated Pratibha Dhangekar, wife of former MLA and Shiv Sena leader Ravindra Dhangekar. Laxmi Andekar defeated BJP candidate Rutuja Gadale by a slender margin.Mithun Chavan, a lawyer associated with the Andekar family, said the twin victories reflected the social work carried out by the family over the years.He said the Andekars have a long political legacy, with Vatsala Andekar having served as the city’s mayor, while late Udyankant Andekar and Vanraj Andekar were corporators known for raising civic issues.Chavan said that although Sonali and Laxmi were in jail during the campaign, other family members led the outreach.”They connected with voters on the ground, and people responded positively by electing both the candidates,” he said.Pradnya Andekar, a relative of the newly elected corporators, thanked the voters of the ward for reposing faith in the family and said they would continue to work for the betterment of residents.
Gauri Lankesh murder accused wins Jalna
Shrikant Pangarkar secured victory from Ward 13 in the Jalna Municipal Corporation elections, defeating candidates from the BJP and several other parties. The Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena did not field a candidate in the ward.Ahead of the November 2024 assembly elections, Pangarkar had joined the Shiv Sena. However, following public outcry over his induction, Shinde kept it in abeyance.Gauri Lankesh was shot dead outside her Bengaluru residence on September 5, 2017. Her murder had triggered national headlines and sparked intense debates over liberalism, secularism, and communalism in India.Pangarkar had earlier served as a member of the Jalna municipal council with the undivided Shiv Sena between 2001 and 2006. After being denied a ticket in 2011, he joined the right-wing Hindu Janjagruti Samiti. Go to Source