Maharashtra Polls: Gauri Lankesh murder accused Shrikant Pangarkar to lead Shinde's Shiv Sena campaign in Jalna

Maharashtra elections, Gauri Lankesh murder, Shrikant Pangarkar, Shiv Sena, Eknath Shinde, Jalna campaign, Maharashtra assembly polls, Mahayuti alliance, Arjun Khotkar, political news

Shrikant Pangarkar, an accused in the 2017 murder of journalist Gauri Lankesh, has officially joined the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena in Jalna, Maharashtra, ahead of the upcoming state assembly elections.

Lankesh, a noted journalist and activist, was shot dead outside her Bengaluru residence on September 5, 2017. The investigation, carried out by Karnataka police with assistance from Maharashtra agencies, led to several arrests, including Pangarkar's in August 2018. A former municipal councillor from Jalna, Pangarkar was associated with the undivided Shiv Sena from 2001 to 2006 but was denied a party ticket in 2011. Following this, he joined the right-wing Hindu Janjagruti Samiti.

Pangarkar, who was granted bail by the Karnataka High Court on September 4, rejoined the Shinde-led Shiv Sena on Friday. The event took place in the presence of senior party leader and former state minister Arjun Khotkar, who announced that Pangarkar has been appointed as the head of the Jalna assembly poll campaign, as reported by News18.

Khotkar also expressed his desire to contest the assembly election from the Jalna constituency, though discussions regarding seat sharing in the ruling Mahayuti alliance, which includes the Shiv Sena, BJP, and Ajit Pawar-led NCP faction, are ongoing. The current sitting MLA from Jalna is Congress leader Kailash Gorantyal.

The Maharashtra assembly elections are set for November 20, with the results scheduled to be declared on November 23. The term of the existing assembly concludes on November 26.