Thaindian News

Mumbai Oct 22 (IANS) Two former underworld bosses, Arun Gawli of Mumbai and Suresh alias Pappu Kalani of Ulhasnagar in Thane district, bit the dust in Maharashtra’s assembly polls, results of which were declared Thursday.
Gawli, or ‘Daddy’ as he is popularly referred to by his supporters was trounced from Byculla constituency for his second stint in the Maharashtra legislature by Congressman Madhu Chavan.

Similarly, Kalani, a four-time legislator, was humbled at the hands of a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate Kumar Ailani.

For both Chavan and Ailani, it was sweet revenge - in the past, the duo suffered humiliating defeats at the hands of Gawli and Kalani respectively.

Both Gawli and Kalani, prior to their achieving a ‘reformed’ status, encountered a variety of serious charges against them like murder, contract killings, extortion and kidnapping.

Both were jailed before becoming legislators. Gawli fought the current elections from behind bars on an Akhil Bharatiya Sena (ABS) ticket.

Gawli lived in the fortified Dagdi Chawl in south Mumbai. Despite the fortifications around him, he constantly dreaded the late police officer Vijay Salaskar, who was gunned down while battling the Pakistani terrorists in the 26/11 Mumbai attacks last year.

Incidentally, while Gawli was once wooed by the Shiv Sena and even referred to as a ‘Hindu don’ to counter the ‘Muslim don’ Dawood Ibrahim.

Kalani was first with the Congress, then with Republican Party of India and flirted briefly with Nationalist Congress Party.

While Kalani wielded an iron grip over the city of Ulhasnagar, Gawli presented a soft, father-figure image before the masses. When in custody, the businesses of both the men were looked after by their wives - Asha Gawli and Jyoti Kalani.

Gawli has interests in real estate while Kalani owns a liquor brewery and also dabbled in realty.