Overview
- Sonali Vanraj Andekar and Lakshmi Udaykant Andekar were elected to the Pune Municipal Corporation while in judicial custody in the Ayush Komkar murder case.
- A special court under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act granted conditional permission for the two to file nominations and complete election formalities from jail.
- The Nationalist Congress Party led by Ajit Pawar fielded and publicly backed both candidates as relatives campaigned locally invoking slain corporator Vanraj Andekar’s legacy.
- Pune police escalated action after Komkar’s killing, arresting dozens linked to the Andekar network, invoking MCOCA in multiple cases, and seizing bank accounts and properties alongside demolitions of illegal structures.
- Results in nearby wards showed mixed outcomes for others with criminal links, suggesting voters made selective choices rather than endorsing such candidates across the board.