Tejas Navale

Pune: The newly elected member of parliament from Ahmednagar South Lok Sabha constituency, Nilesh Lanke, found himself embroiled in a controversy as he met notorious gangster Gaja Marane in Pune. A short video is circulating on social media in which Nilesh Lanke is seen meeting and talking with Gaja Marne and receiving felicitations from him.

Before this instance, Parth Pawar, the son of the Deputy Chief Minister of the State, Ajit Pawar, also met Gaja Marne before the Lok Sabha election. At that time, Part Pawar and, subsequently, Ajit Pawar faced a lot of criticism from the opposition. After that, Ajit Pawar accepted that it was a mistake from Parth Pawar's side that he met with a person who has a strong criminal background. Therefore, after Nilesh Lanke's meeting with a gangster, this issue has again come to the fore.

Gaja Marne is a notorious gangster from Pune, known for his involvement in various criminal activities, including extortion, land grabbing, and organised crime. He has a significant criminal record and has been arrested multiple times in connection with his criminal activities. Notably, he has very good connections with political leaders, which many times became headlines for newspapers earlier.

In this case, various political leaders are giving reactions. The spokesperson of the Nationalist Congress Party-Ajit Pawar Group and Member of Legislative Council, Amol Mitkari, rebuked Nilesh Lanke. He said, "When Parth Pawar unknowingly met Gaja Marne, at that time, various leaders of the opposition criticised Parth Pawar. Why are these leaders silent now?"

Amol Mitkari further asked whether Gaja Marne helped Nilesh Lanke in his win in the Lok Sabha election by employing his men in the election campaigning.