Former Jalna councilor Pangarkar, who was “reinducted” by his “political guru” and former minister Arjun Khorkar on Friday, says he never left the party.
Photo credit : indianexpress.com
Pangarkar, a former Jalna councillor who served two terms, says he never left the party, despite being “reinducted” on Friday by his “political guru” and former minister Arjun Khorkar.
His “political guru” and former minister Arjun Khotkar accepted Shrikant Pangarkar into the Jalna party ranks on Friday. He was also named the party’s poll campaign in-charge for the Jalna Assembly seat. “All orders issued at the (district level) in Jalna stand null and void,” however, was Shinde’s directive on Sunday.
However, Pangarkar asserted that he had held numerous Sena positions and had never left the party. He told The Indian Express, “I have been handling the role that I have been assigned now since 2014.” According to sources, Pangarkar was a backroom operative for Khotkar during the elections and supported him even though he was not formally active from 2011 to 2018. Following the Karnataka SIT, Khotkar had cut ties with Pangarkar.
Pangarkar started his political career with the unified Sena in 1996 and worked his way up to become Shakha Pramukh and Vibhag Pramukh. He is the son of BJP worker and former corporator Jagannath. In 2001, he won his first civic vote from Jalna, and five years later, he did it again. He resigned in 2011 and joined the right-wing Hindu Janajagruti Samithi. According to party insiders, the Sena may have been able to consolidate votes thanks to his powerful pro-Hindutva image and influence in Jalna city.
In addition to being charged with attending a training camp and setting up weapons in the Lankesh case, Pangarkar is also charged with conspiring with 11 other people to disrupt the 2017 Sunburn music festival in Pune as part of the Nalasopara arms haul case, according to the Maharashtra Anti-terrorism Squad (ATS). He has refuted every accusation and stated that “political rivalry” was the reason for his involvement. He is currently free on bond in both trials; last month, bail was granted in the Lankesh murder case.
“If you read the bail order or even the chargesheet, you will find that there is no evidence against me. All allegations are false. I lost six years of my life. I am not a criminal and have no role in both cases. I have been active only in politics,” said Pangarkar, who again wants to try his luck in the civic polls. According to locals, Pangarkar now resides in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, where is involved in the hotel and real estate business, and also runs a ration shop.