Archive · 16 Jan 2026
Jailed Candidates Win Maharashtra Municipal Elections
Two men, Lalit Kolhe and Shrikant Pangarkar, won in local government elections in Maharashtra, India.
Both were in jail when they won.
Lalit Kolhe is from the Shiv Sena party and was arrested for allegedly running a fake call centre.
His mother and son also won in the same area.
Shrikant Pangarkar is an independent candidate who was arrested for his involvement in the murder of a journalist and an arms case.
He won as a councillor in Jalna.
This shows that even people in jail can run and win elections in India.
Lalit Kolhe, a Shiv Sena candidate, won the Maharashtra municipal corporation elections from jail.
Shrikant Pangarkar, an independent candidate, also won from jail in the Jalna Municipal Corporation polls.
Kolhe is incarcerated for his alleged involvement in a fake call centre case.
Pangarkar is accused in the Gauri Lankesh murder case and the Nalla Sopara arms haul case.
Kolhe's mother and son also won elections in the same municipal corporation.
- Who
- Lalit Kolhe and Shrikant Pangarkar, both incarcerated candidates
- What
- Won in the Maharashtra municipal corporation elections
- When
- Election results declared on Friday, October 2025
- Where
- Jalgaon and Jalna Municipal Corporations, Maharashtra
- Why
- Contested and won the elections while incarcerated for alleged crimes
- Candidate 1
- Lalit Kolhe
- Party Affiliation 1
- Shiv Sena
- Election Type
- Maharashtra municipal corporation elections
- Ward Won 1
- Ward 11, Jalgaon City Municipal Corporation
- Arrest Date 1
- October 2025
- Alleged Crime 1
- Fake call centre case
- Co-Winners 1
- Mother (Sindhutai Kolhe) and son (Piyush Kolhe)
- Candidate 2
- Shrikant Pangarkar
- Party Affiliation 2
- Independent
- Ward Won 2
- Ward 13, Jalna Municipal Corporation
- Arrest Date 2
- 2018
- Alleged Crimes 2
- Gauri Lankesh murder case and Nalla Sopara arms haul case
