Maharashtra Election 2019: Chhota Rajan’s Brother to Contest From Phaltam

In 2018, a case was registered against Deepak for alleged rape and sexual harassment based on the complaint of a 22-year-old woman.

New Delhi: Underworld don Chhota Rajan’s brother Deepak Nikalije will be contesting in Maharashtra Assembly Elections from Phaltam Assembly constituency on a ticket from the Republican Party of India, an ally of the BJP. The state is going to the polls on October 21. In the seat-sharing deal among the BJP, Sena and other smaller allies, the RPI, led by Union minister Ramdas Athawale, has got six seats, reports said.

This is not the first time Nikalje will be contesting. He had unsuccessfully fought assembly elections from Chembur in Mumbai on the party’s ticket.

“This time he expressed willingness to fight the election from Phaltan since he hails from that area and has a good network there,” said a senior RPI leader, as quoted by PTI.

Other five seats where RPI would be fielding candidates are Malshiras in Solapur district, Bhandara and Naigaon in Nanded district, Pathri in Parbhani and Mankhurd- Shivaji Nagar in Mumbai.

Chhota Rajan (File Image) Officials said that the woman, who used to reside in Siddharth Colony in suburban Chembur, in her complaint, alleged that Nikalje exploited her on the promise of marriage.

After 27 years on the run, Chhota Rajan was arrested in Bali in 2015. Last year, he was convicted of the murder of Mid Day’s crime and investigations editor J Dey and was handed life imprisonment.