Women from gangster Andekar’s family, behind bars for murder, win PMC election

Lakshmi Andekar got 12,641 votes, defeating BJP’s Rutuja Gadale by just 141 votes. Gadale was second with 12500 votes. To protest son’s killing, Ayush’s mother Kalyani Komkar, who is also Bandu’s daughter, contested election against Lakshmi Andekar, but lost badly by getting only 282 votes.

Speaking to media persons, Priyanka and Pradnya Andekar, who were at the forefront of the election campaign for Sonali and Lakshmi, said they were thankful to Ajit Pawar for showing faith in them. “It is the love of people for us that has led to our victory. When we reached out to the voters, many of them told us about the work that Vanraj and Udaykant Andekar had done for them over the years,” they said.

Soon after Sonali and Lakshmi Andekar were announced as victors, their supporters shouted the slogan “Neki ka kaam, Andekar ka naam”.

Bandu Andekar had raised the same slogan when he, Sonali and Lakshmi, were brought from Yerwada Central Prison to PMC’s Bhavani Peth Ward Office on December 27, under police bandobast, for filing his nomination form for the elections.

At that time, even though Bandu’s face was covered and the police had tied him with a rope, he raised his hand, making a victory sign with his fingers. Then, walking through the ward office, he shouted the slogans “Neki ka kaam, Andekar ka kaam (Andekar means good work)” and “Andekarana mat, Vikasala mat (Vote for Andekar means vote for development)”. He also shouted that he was a candidate and not a dacoit. A video of the incident had gone viral.

Bandu’s nomination, which was incomplete, got rejected. However, Sonali and Lakshmi were fielded by Ajit Pawar’s NCP from ward number 23, which covers the mid-city areas of Raviwar Peth – Nana Peth, where the Andekar gang has remained influential in criminal as well as political activities for over three decades.

Though it sparked major controversy, Ajit Pawar and his party still extended complete support to the Andekar family during the election campaign. Sonali’s daughter and other Andekar family members were seen sharing the stage with Ajit Pawar at election rallies in the city. Speaking to the media, Pawar defended candidature for the Andekars, saying if someone commits crime, one cannot blame the entire family.

Having been named in sensational gang war crimes in the city, the Andekar family is known to have entered politics in Pune around the 1990s. The gang was once led by Bandu’s brother Balkrishna, alias Balu Andekar, who was murdered in Shivajinagar court premises by rival Pramod Malvadkar in July 1984.

After that, Bandu took over the gang’s activities, while his brothers Udaykant (Lakshmi’s husband) and Ramakant became corporators in the PMC. Vatsala Andekar, alias Akka, from the Andekar family became the mayor of Pune city in 1998. Also, Bandu’s wife Rajashree Andekar won civic elections twice in 2007 and 2012.

The Andekar family maintained an association with Congress and the NCP. Sonali’s husband and Bandu’s elder son Vanraj Andekar, had won the previous civic elections in 2017 on an NCP ticket. However, Vanraj was shot dead near his residence in Nana Peth on September 1, 2024.

Bandu’s daughter Sanjivani Komkar, her husband Jayant and brother in law Ganesh Komkar (who is husband of Bandu’s second daughter Kalyani Komkar), a rival Somnath Sayaji Gaikwad, were among those arrested for Vanraj’s murder.

According to the police, to avenge Vanraj’s death, Ganesh and Kalyani’s son Ayush Komkar was shot dead by two gunmen in the parking lot of his residential building in Bhavani Peth on September 5, 2025.

During investigation, the police arrested 16 people, including Bandu, his son Krushna Andekar, Lakshmi Andekar, Sonali Andekar, Swaraj Wadekar and others, in the Ayush Komkar murder case.

Ayush’s mother Kalyani not only made a public appeal against the Andekars during the election campaign, but also contested unsuccessfully as an independent candidate against Lakshmi.

After Ayush’s killing, the Pune city police arrested 54 persons linked to the Andekar gang, in 12 cases. The stringent Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) was invoked in four cases. Police also seized 40 bank accounts of the Andekar family. Besides, 52 properties worth Rs 1.31 crore, belonging to the Andekar gang were seized and seven illegal properties were demolished. Police even formed a special squad to monitor the activities of gangsters contesting the PMC elections.

During the election campaign, the Andekar family and their supporters sought votes in the name of slain Vanraj Andekar. While Sonali and Lakshmi remained in jail, pamphlets carrying Vanraj’s name were distributed among voters, with an appeal, “Vyarth na ho balidan, kara aple matdan (Vote for us so that Vanraj’s sacrifice is not in vain)”.

The Andekars also used social media platforms heavily to reach out to the voters along with other two NCP candidates Aniket Kothavale and Khan Shahbaz Mohammad Arif from ward number 23. Despite contesting from prison, Sonali and Lakshmi won, while Kothavale and Khan lost to BJP’s Pallavi Jawale and Vishal Dhanawade respectively.