Shrikant Pangarkar, accused in the 2017 murder of journalist Gauri Lankesh, won the Ward 13 seat in the Jalna Municipal Corporation election as an independent on January 15, defeating rivals from the BJP and other parties by a margin of 2,621 votes. The Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena did not field a candidate in the ward, making it a multi-cornered contest.

Pangarkar celebrated his victory with supporters despite the ongoing trial in the Lankesh case, asserting that he has not been convicted and the legal process is still underway. His win has reignited debate over the participation of accused individuals in Indian electoral politics.

Gauri Lankesh, a journalist and activist, was shot dead outside her Bengaluru home on September 5, 2017, sparking nationwide outrage over freedom of expression and political intolerance. Pangarkar was later named an accused and granted bail by the Karnataka High Court in September 2024.

Politically, Pangarkar has served as a corporator in the Jalna municipal council with the undivided Shiv Sena (2001–2006), later joined the right-wing Hindu Janjagruti Samiti, and briefly associated with the Shinde-led Shiv Sena ahead of the 2024 Maharashtra Assembly elections, before his induction was put on hold following criticism.

He has also faced legal action previously, including an arrest by the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad in 2018 for possession of crude bombs and weapons under the Explosives Act and the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act.