BJP’s performance in the Lok Sabha elections in Maharashtra has not been good. It has won only nine seats. But, in this defeat, one candidate is being discussed a lot. She has lost both the 2019 assembly and this time’s Lok Sabha elections. She was a cabinet minister in the state government in 2014. Her father was the first generation leader to lay the foundation of BJP in Maharashtra. Her stature can be gauged from the fact that Union Minister Nitin Gadkari considered her his guru. Even after becoming the national president of BJP, Gadkari used to touch Munde’s feet. Gadkari himself has said this many times on live TV.
Actually, we are talking about Pankaja Munde, daughter of former Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Gopinath Munde. Gopinath was the Deputy Chief Minister in the first Shiv Sena-BJP coalition government formed in the state from 1995 to 1999. He used to be the face of the OBC community in the state. But, unfortunately, he died in an accident within a few days of joining PM Modi’s cabinet in 2014.
Pankaja took over the political legacy
His elder daughter Pankaja Munde took the responsibility of carrying forward his political legacy. After this, in the 2014 assembly elections, Pankaja reached the House as an MLA and became a cabinet minister in the Devendra Fadnavis government. After this, in the 2019 elections, she lost to her cousin Dhananjay Munde in the Beed assembly. Then in this Lok Sabha election, she contested the Lok Sabha elections from Beed but this time she lost despite the support of her brother.
In a way, Pankaja has been under the influence of Saturn for the past five years. Despite being from a powerful political family, she has missed the last two elections. Due to her defeat in the assembly elections, she did not get a place in the current state government.
Pankaja will go to Rajya Sabha
Now there is a discussion in the political corridors of the state that after the victory of MPs Udayanraje Bhosale and Piyush Goyal, two Rajya Sabha seats of BJP are getting vacant. Who will fill these seats. Everyone’s eyes are on this. According to sources, there is a possibility of Pankaja Munde being sent to Rajya Sabha from this seat. This time BJP had cut the ticket of Pankaja’s sister Pritam Munde and fielded her from Beed. On the other hand, Bajrang Sonawane was once again made the candidate from the NCP Sharad Pawar faction. Last time Pritam Munde had defeated Bajrang Sonawane. But this time Bajrang Sonawane won.
Tags: Lok Sabha Election 2024, Lok Sabha Elections
FIRST PUBLISHED : June 7, 2024, 19:18 IST