Pune: Notorious gangster Gajanan alias Gaja Marne felicitated newly elected Member of Parliament Nilesh Lanke of NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar) party from Ahilyanagar (Ahmednagar Loksabha constituency). This incident has sparked a political uproar, highlighting the issue of political-criminal nexus.

Previously, Parth Pawar, the son of Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, also faced backlash for meeting Gaja Marne, leading Ajit Pawar to reprimand his son and caution him against such associations.

Gaja Marne hails from Mulshi taluka and is leader of the Marne gang. He has a history of serious criminal charges, including involvement in the murders of Pappu Gawde and Amol Badhe, linked to the Nilesh Ghaywal gang, for which he was convicted and served a three-year sentence at Pune's Yerawada Jail. The Marne and Mohol gangs hold significant influence in Pune.

In the Ahmednagar Lok Sabha elections, Nilesh Lanke defeated BJP's Sujay Vikhe with 624,797 votes to Vikhe’s 595,868, winning by a margin of 28,929 votes. Before the Lok Sabha elections, Nilesh Lanke was part of Ajit Pawar's faction of the NCP. However, during the election period, he joined Sharad Pawar's group and received a Lok Sabha ticket from him. Now, all eyes are on Sharad Pawar to see how he responds to Lanke’s controversial meeting with Gaja Marne.

Gaja Marne was inducted into the NCP a few years in a meeting attended by Ajit Pawar. Due to widespread criticism, Marne was then expelled from the party. Marne's wife Jayashree has served as a corporator of Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) from Kothrud area. She had joined Nationalist Congress Party in February 2022.

The properties acquired by Jayshree were being investigated by the Anti Corruption Bureau after she became corporator in 2012. Gangster Marne reportedly has properties in Pune, Mulshi and Maval talukas.