In what may prove to be an embarrassment for the ruling BJP, its ally Republican Party of India (Athavale) on Wednesday announced that it would field incarcerated underworld don Chhota Rajan’s brother Deepak Nikalje as its candidate for the Maharashtra Assembly polls from Phaltan constituency in Satara district of western Maharashtra.
Announcing Nikalje’s name as his party’s candidate from Phaltan constituency, RPI (A) founder-president Ramdas Athavale said that his party — which is a constituent of the BJP-led saffron alliance in the state and of the NDA at the Centre -- would in all contest six seats in the State Assembly polls.
Athvale said that the RPI(A) would contest the seats of Phaltan in Satara district, Malshiras in Solapur district, Bhandara, Naigaon in Nanded district, Pathri in Parbhani district and Mankhurd- Shivaji Nagar in Mumbai. Apart from that of Nikalje, Athavle also released the names of the RPI (A)'s five other candidates for the polls.
Phaltan, where Nikalje is contesting is reserved for the candidates belonging to the Scheduled Caste. Phaltan is the native place of Chhota Rajan.
This is not for the first time that Nikalje will be contesting the State Assembly polls. He had in the past contested the Assembly from Chembur as an independent in the past. Nikalge has been nominated to contest from Phaltan, since Chembur has gone to the Shiv Sena in the seat-sharing arrangement with the BJP. Nikalje has several cases registered against him in various police stations of Mumbai. In the 2014 polls, Nikalje had declared assets worth Rs 17 crore. As recently as in the third week of March 2018, the Mumbai police had registered a case of alleged rape and sexual harassment based on the complaint of a 22-year-old woman. '
Quoting the complaint lodged by the victim woman, the police had said that the woman, who used to reside in Siddharth Colony in north-east Mumbai, had alleged that Nikalje had exploited the victim sexually.