Indian scientist-turned-politician and former NASA consultant in the US, Balasaheb S. Darade on Friday emerged the surprise winner in the Pangradole circle constituency in the Buldhana district council polls, an aide said.
"He has won by a margin of over 4,000 votes, trouncing his nearest Nationalist Congress rival, followed by the Shiv Sena and the Congress," his close friend and campaign manager Amol Kadam said.
Kadam said Darade is the youngest-ever elected member of the Zilla Parishad and has won with the highest margin in the current elections, for which polling was held Feb 7.
Shortly after his victory was announced, Darade (28) thanked his supporters, the villagers and then rushed to the nearby Khatkeshwar temple to offer thanksgiving prayers to his late parents, Kadam said.
Darade lived in the US for over a decade, specializing in nanotechnology. However, he left his cutting edge work last year when conscience beckoned him to help change and improve things in his Parda village in the state's Vidarbha region.
"I had always been keen on research, especially nano in solar cells. My work got me a consultancy assignment with US space agency NASA and I worked on the Mars Rover Project on nano solar cells," Darade had said at the height of the election campaign earlier this month.