Arun Lakhani has been nominated by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) as its candidate for the Wardha-Chandrapur-Gadchiroli Local Authorities Constituency in the Maharashtra Legislative Council elections.

This nomination has attracted attention due to Lakhani’s family soon being linked to the Nationalist Congress Party (Sharad Pawar faction) through the marriage of his son, Sarang Lakhani, to Supriya Sule’s daughter, Revati.

Despite this forthcoming family connection with a leading opposition political family, Arun Lakhani has maintained active involvement with the BJP and currently serves as Co-Treasurer of BJP Maharashtra.

Lakhani is a prominent industrialist from Nagpur and the Chairman of the Vishvaraj Group, which specialises in water infrastructure and sustainability projects. He is also recognised for his contributions to business, sports administration, and public life. Lakhani holds the positions of President of the Maharashtra Badminton Association and Treasurer of the Badminton Association of India.

The BJP's choice of Lakhani is viewed as an effort to field a candidate with strong organisational, commercial, and social credentials. The Wardha-Chandrapur-Gadchiroli seat is regarded as a significant constituency in the Vidarbha region.

Arun Lakhani's candidacy has placed him at the centre of political and public attention, not only due to his electoral role but also because of his family's forthcoming association with the Pawar family.

Regarding the electoral outlook, the Mahayuti alliance currently holds a numerical advantage in the constituency with 445 votes out of 977. This total includes 341 BJP members, 39 from the Shiv Sena (Shinde faction), 63 from the NCP (Ajit Pawar faction), and 2 from the RPI (Athawale). The Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) coalition has a combined strength of 351 votes, comprising 293 from the Congress, 33 from the NCP (Sharad Pawar faction), and 25 from the Shiv Sena (Uddhav Thackeray faction). Additionally, 91 votes belong to independents and smaller parties, making them a potentially decisive factor despite the numerical lead of the Mahayuti alliance.