E-Paper
Candidates with criminal connections win PMC polls
Voters in ward number 23 (Raviwar Peth-Nana Peth) elected two members of the Andekar family who contested the civic polls from jail
PUNE: Interestingly, voters in ward number 23 (Raviwar Peth-Nana Peth) elected two members of the Andekar family who contested the civic polls from jail while rejecting other candidates with criminal backgrounds.
Sonali Vanraj Andekar - currently in Yerawada jail and in judicial custody at the time of polling - contested the civic polls with the backing of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) alliance and won from ward 23, defeating Pratibha Dhangekar, wife of former Shiv Sena leader Ravindra Dhangekar. In the final round of counting, Sonali Andekar led by 1,950 votes and eventually secured 10,809 votes against Pratibha Dhangekar’s 8,859 in a closely fought contest.
Sonali Andekar, wife of late NCP corporator Vanraj Andekar, is currently lodged in jail in connection with the murder of Ayush Komkar. Other members of the family - including Bandu alias Suryakant Ranoji Andekar and Laxmi Udaykant Andekar – were also arrested in the same case and are facing judicial proceedings.
Despite serious charges, the NCP fielded Sonali Andekar and her mother-in-law Laxmi Andekar as candidates. Both were granted conditional permission by a special court under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) to contest the elections.
Bandu Andekar, lodged in Dhule jail; and Sonali and Laxmi Andekar, earlier lodged in Kolhapur’s Kalamba jail; were brought to Pune escorted by the police to complete election-related formalities.
In ward 23C, Laxmi Andekar defeated the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate Rutuja Gadale by a narrow margin, making it two wins for the Andekar family in the ward. By contrast, other candidates with criminal backgrounds failed to make the cut, indicating that voters made selective choices rather than a blanket endorsement of candidates with criminal backgrounds.
With bail denied, the candidates had no option but to contest from behind the bars. During the campaign, the younger generation of the Andekar family — Riya Vanraj Andekar, Pradnya Shivam Andekar, and Priyanka Krushnaraj Andekar — carried out door-to-door canvassing in the ward, appealing to voters to support the family as a continuation of Vanraj Andekar’s legacy.
Pradnya Andekar said that residents repeatedly referred to the work carried out by the family in the area. “We will try to live up to the trust placed in us and focus on resolving local issues and completing ongoing development works,” she said.
Riya Andekar, daughter of Sonali and Vanraj Andekar, said that campaigning in the current circumstances was emotionally difficult. “I watched my father campaign as a child. Today, I am campaigning for my mother. We never imagined things would turn out this way,” she said.
Priyanka Andekar said that the response from voters remained positive throughout the campaign. “People remember the work carried out by our family. That is why they stood by us despite the criticism,” she said.
Mithun Chavan, a lawyer associated with the Andekar family said that the dual victory (Sonali and Laxmi Andekar) is a testament of the good work carried out by the Andekar family over the years. Additionally, the Andekars have a long political background as Vatsala Andekar was the mayor of the city. Late Udyankant Andekar and Vanraj Andekar were also corporators, and had worked for the people. Although Laxmi and Sonali Andekar were both behind bars, other members of the family took campaigning in their hands and reached out to the people and the people too responded positively by electing both candidates. Meanwhile, critics have raised concerns over what they see as normalising the entry of persons with criminal backgrounds into public office.
In ward number 39 (Uppar–Supar–Indiranagar), Bappu alias Kumar Prabhakar Nayar fielded by the NCP who also has a criminal background lost the election. Nayar has multiple criminal cases registered against him including attempt to murder and land grabbing but was recently acquitted under MCOCA.
Pratibha Chorghe, wife of noted criminal Rohidas Chorghe and BJP candidate from the Katraj-Ambegaon ward, also registered victory from ward number 38. Rohidas Chorghe, a resident of Velhe taluka, has a long criminal record and was accused of murdering Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) leader and real estate agent Sandeep Bandal in 2008. Police records also show that Chorghe escaped from Sassoon General Hospital while being brought there from jail for medical treatment. He has been involved in many other serious offences, including an attempted attack on a person within the court premises and a firing incident at the Anewadi toll naka. By contrast, Jayashree Marne, wife of noted criminal Gajanan Marne, lost to the BJP candidate in the Bavdhan ward.
