BJP Revives Pankaja Munde Post-Maharashtra Setback, Eyes Ministerial Role

Following the defeat in the Lok Sabha election, Pankaja Munde will soon have what she has long wanted: a role in state politics, thanks to the BJP. According to reports, the party intends to promote the OBC leader to the House through the Legislative Council and then offer him a ministerial position after failing to secure even one seat in the Marathwada district.

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Pankaja, the eldest of three daughters of the late Gopinath Munde, was once the most well-known OBC face of the BJP in Maharashtra. Since Devendra Fadnavis’ ascent to power, Pankaja has never concealed her dissatisfaction at her “sidelining” in the state unit. After assigning her a position inside the party’s national organisation, the BJP waited to offer Pankaja a ticket for the Lok Sabha elections until it became apparent that the ground beneath it was shifting due to the Maratha quota demonstrations and the anti-OBC mobilisation.

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Amid Maharashtra Strategy Overhaul, BJP Nominates Pankaja Munde for Key Roles

Her sister Pritam, a two-term MP from the constituency, paid for the ticket from Beed to Pankaja. Despite Pankaja’s loss by just 6,000 votes, the party is now prepare to guarantee her victory in the MLC, according to sources.

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“The state core committee leaders, including Deputy Chief Minister Fadnavis, have recommended Pankaja Munde’s candidature for MLC and Cabinet berth in the Eknath Shinde-led coalition government,” a well-placed BJP source stated. Additionally, the central leadership has consented.

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With only nine Lok Sabha seats remaining in Maharashtra from the 23 it won in 2019, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has to reconsider its approach before the Assembly elections in a few months. Maintaining a strong public image that can unite its historic base of support among the OBCs is still vital to its success. In addition to Pankaja covering that void, the Mundes are OBC Vanjari faces from Marathwada, the centre of the Maratha quota movement.

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BJP Aims to Strengthen Marathwada Presence with Pankaja Munde’s MLC Candidacy

Chandrashekhar Bawankule, the state president of the BJP and a Teli from Vidarbha, represents the OBC. Nevertheless, elevating an OBC face in Marathwada is anticipated to have further benefits beyond the continued influence of the Munde moniker. This time, the BJP failed to win any of the eight Lok Sabha seats (representing 46 Assembly segments) in Marathwada.