Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) candidate Sonali Andekar, who is currently lodged in jail, has won the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) elections from Ward No. 23 (Ravivar Peth–Nana Peth). She has defeated Shiv Sena leader Ravindra Dhangekar’s wife, Pratibha.
Sonali Andekar is the wife of the late NCP corporator Vanraj Andekar, who was shot dead near his residence in Nana Peth on September 1, 2024.
In retaliation, Ayush Komkar, the son of Ganesh Komkar, who is an accused in the Vanraj Andekar murder case, was shot dead.
Following this, Bandu alias Suryakant Ranoji Andekar, Laxmi Udaykant Andekar, and Sonali Andekar, along with fifteen others, were arrested for their alleged involvement in the killing of Ayush Komkar.
Meanwhile, polling took place in Pune for 163 seats, as two BJP candidates, Manjusha Nagpure and Shrikant Jagtap from Ward No. 35, were already elected unopposed.
Ranjan Kumar Sharma, Joint Commissioner of Police, said that overall polling in Pune on Thursday was peaceful, barring seven to eight complaints of money distribution and chaos at some polling booths over claims of bogus voting.
Poll officials said that 26 control units and 76 ballot units were replaced following technical glitches. The CUs and BUs were replaced swiftly and the polling process continued, they added.
