Despite being held at Yerwada Central Jail, the Nationalist Congress Party candidate, led by Ajit Pawar, Sonali Vanraj Andekar (35) and Lakshmi Udaykant Andekar (60), triumphed in the Pune civic elections from Ward Number 23.
Sonali Andekar is the spouse of Vanraj Andekar, a former NCP corporator who was killed on September 1, 2024, in Pune’s Nana Peth area. Both Sonali and Lakshmi were among 16 individuals arrested in connection with the shocking murder of 19-year-old Ayush Komkar, the grandson of local gangster Suryakant ‘Bandu’ Andekar.
Ward 23 includes the central zones of the city, featuring neighborhoods like Raviwar Peth and Nana Peth. Sonali Andekar is the widow of former corporator Vanraj Andekar and the daughter-in-law of ex-councillor Bandu Andekar.
Initially trailing in the vote count, she ultimately defeated Pratibha Dhangekar, wife of Shiv Sena politician Ravindra Dhangekar, by 13,819 votes, as reported by the Indian Express. Pratibha garnered 10,590 votes, while Anuradha Manche from the BJP came in third with 10,295 votes.
With 12,641 votes, Lakshmi Andekar won her election by surpassing Rutuja Gadale of the BJP by a narrow margin of 141 votes, as Rutuja received 12,500 votes to finish second. Kalyani Komkar, Ayush’s mother and Bandu Andekar’s daughter, ran against Lakshmi in protest of her son’s murder but managed only 282 votes.
The legal troubles for Lakshmi and Sonali Andekar originate from September 2025, when Ayush Komkar was reportedly shot and killed in Pune’s Bhavani Peth neighborhood.
This incident intensified tensions between the Andekar and Komkar families, seen as retaliation for Vanraj Andekar’s murder in 2024. Important members of the Andekar family, including Bandu, his son Krushna Andekar, Sonali, and Lakshmi, were eventually apprehended.
A court granted conditional permission for both women to submit their nominations from jail, but their bail requests have been denied, according to Mid-Day.
In the wake of their nominations and victories, the NCP has come under significant scrutiny for selecting candidates with serious criminal backgrounds.
Ajit Pawar and his party actively supported the Andekar family during the campaign. Sonali’s daughter and other family members were seen on stage with Ajit Pawar at election rallies throughout the city.
Pradnya Andekar, a relative of the newly elected corporators, expressed gratitude to the voters for their trust in the family, as reported by PTI, and vowed to continue working for the community’s welfare.
(Edited by : Sudarsanan Mani)
First Published: Jan 17, 2026 1:32 PM IST
