Jalna Municipal Corporation Election Results 2026: Shrikant Pangarkar, accused in the 2017 murder of journalist Gauri Lankesh, has won the Jalna Municipal Corporation election from Ward 13 as an independent candidate. Pangarkar defeated Raosaheb Dhoble of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in a closely watched contest. He secured 2,661 votes, while Dhoble got 2,477. He celebrated his victory with supporters soon after the results were announced. A video of the celebrations, shared by PTI, has gone viral on social media.
Pangarkar was a member of the Jalna Municipal Council from 2001 to 2006 as part of Shiv Sena. After being denied a party ticket in 2011, he joined the Hindu Janjagruti Samiti.
Gauri Lankesh, a journalist and activist, was shot dead outside her home in Bengaluru on September 5, 2017. The murder triggered nationwide outrage and debate over freedom of expression, dissent, and political intolerance. Pangarkar was later named as an accused and was granted bail by the Karnataka High Court on September 4, 2024.
In August 2018, he was arrested by the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad following the seizure of crude bombs and weapons in the state. He was booked under the Explosives Act, the Explosive Substances Act, and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.
Pangarkar’s win comes while the criminal case linked to Lankesh’s murder is still under trial.