NAGPUR: A picture of the newly-elected Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLC from Gondia-Bhandara, Parinay Fuke, with a known gangster from Nagpur, Santosh Ambekar, has gone viral on the social media and drawn criticism from the opposition parties.
The picture shows Ambekar standing with Mr. Fuke who defeated two-term Nationalist Congress Party MLC, Rajendra Jain, from Gondia-Bhandara constituency on Tuesday.
Santosh Ambekar is a known name in the crime circles of Nagpur and has a large number of cases registered against him for alleged murder, dacoity, and extortion. He was also charged under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MOCCA). His lavish lifestyle has earned him the nickname of “Don”.
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Attempts to get a reaction from Mr. Fuke to the presence of the gangster in his victory rally, did not elicit any response.
The Nagpur district Congress president, Vikas Thakare, alleged that the picture showed the reality of the BJP.
“There is nothing new and astonishing in this. They (BJP) have always had links with such elements. This time it has come out with proofs. All this (gangster-politician links) has resulted in deteriorating law and order situation in the Chief Minster’s hometown,” alleged Mr. Thakare.
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The BJP, however, denied any such links. “People throng the victory rally after any election to congratulate the winning candidate. In such a situation, the leader doesn’t know each and every worker and he thinks that everyone around him is a party worker,” claimed BJP leader Chandan Goswami.