Pankaja Munde (born 26 July 1979), also known by her married name Pankaja Munde-Palwe, [1] is an Indian politician from the state of Maharashtra and National Secretary of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). She is currently an MLC in the Maharashtra Legislative Council. [2]
Pankaja Munde was born to Gopinath Munde and Pradnya Munde on 26 July 1979 as their eldest child. She has two younger sisters, Pritam Munde and Yashashari. She completed her graduation and also holds an MBA. [3]
She is a niece of Pramod Mahajan, and a cousin to Rahul Mahajan and Poonam Mahajan. NCP leader Dhananjay Munde is also her cousin.
Gopinath Munde, Pankaja Munde's father, served as the Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra in the 1990s. Pankaja Munde herself has held several significant positions in Maharashtra politics. She was the Minister of Rural Development, Women, and Child Welfare in the Devendra Fadnavis cabinet. Besides her political career, she is recognized as a sugar factory and banking businesswoman. In 2017, she received ‘The Powerful Politician’ award and was known as Maharashtra’s prominent and dynamic leader.
In 2012, Pankaja Munde served as the State President of the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM), the BJP’s youth wing. She was elected to the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly from the Parli constituency in 2009. She took oath as a Maharashtra Cabinet Minister on 31 October 2014, being allotted the Ministry of Rural Development, Women, and Child Welfare.
Before the 2014 Maharashtra assembly election, the Maharashtra BJP announced a two-week "Punha Sangharsh Yatra," led by Pankaja Munde, similar to a Sangharsh Yatra undertaken by her father in 1995, which had led to the Shiv Sena-BJP coming to power in the state. The 14-day Yatra started on 27 August 2014, covering 79 assembly constituencies with 600 rallies and a 3500 km road journey. [4] ‘Punha Sangharsh Yatra’ got an overwhelming response. It received overwhelming support, with politicians like Amit Shah, Smriti Irani, and Rajiv Pratap Rudy attending. Despite public chants for her to become Chief Minister, Pankaja Munde expressed her desire to be a key player in bringing the BJP to power rather than aiming for the top position herself. [5] [6]
Pankaja Munde also established a memorial for her father, Gopinath Munde, in Parli, Beed district. The 20-foot-tall statue, called Gopinath Gad, is located on the premises of the Vaidyanath Cooperative Sugar Mill and was inaugurated by Amit Shah and Devendra Fadnavis. Through the Gopinath Gad Prathisthan, several social activities, such as drought relief, skill development, and education scholarships, have been initiated.' [7] [8]
On Gopinath Munde's seventh death anniversary, the Government of India unveiled a unique postal cover in his honor. The cover was inaugurated virtually by BJP National President JP Nadda and Union Telecom Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad, highlighting Gopinath Munde's efforts to bring the party closer to Dalits and deprived classes in Maharashtra. [9]
In 2022, Pankaja Munde led the BJP to victory in the Nagar Panchayat elections in the Beed district. The BJP emerged as the top party by winning all four Nagar Panchayats, showcasing her effective leadership and the public's support for her. [10]
In September 2023, she respectfully embarked on the 'Shivshakti Parikrama,' a sacred journey where she visited 11 revered temples of Jyotirlinga and Shaktipeethas located in 10 districts of the state. Throughout her pilgrimage, she was warmly welcomed and received enthusiastic support from the people. [11]
Pankaja Munde contested the Beed constituency as the BJP candidate in the 2024 General Elections but lost to Bajrang Manohar Sonwane of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP). On 12 July 2024, Pankaja Munde emerged victorious in the Maharashtra Legislative Council elections. She also holds the position of a national secretary (BJP) and incharge of the Madhya Pradesh. [12]
In June 2015, the opposition party, Indian National Congress, accused Pankaja Munde of being involved in the chikki scam, alleging that she had flouted norms by clearing the purchase without floating tenders. [13] [14] Munde rejected the accusations of corruption, arguing that a policy for an online tendering system was not in place when she commissioned the purchase.Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis also defended her, stating that the norm of inviting e-tenders was introduced by his government in April, two months after Munde cleared the contracts. [15] Munde challenged the opposition, saying, "If proven guilty, I shall not just resign, but quit politics permanently if I’ve taken even a rupee from anyone." She is the daughter of the late BJP veteran Gopinath Munde. [16] the daughter of late BJP veteran Gopinath Munde.
After a few days, the Anti-Corruption Bureau of Maharashtra gave a clean chit to Pankaja Munde in connection with the 206 crore Chikki scandal alleged by the opposition. It said the tender was given in compliance with the court's rules, with no facts in this regard. [17]
Pankaja is married to Amit Palwe. The couple has one son name as Aryaman. She has authored a photobiography of her father, titled Lokneta Gopinath Munde. [18]
The tradition of Dasara (Dussehra) Melava is a testament to the unity and strength of the Bahujan and OBC community. It was initiated by Gopinath Munde twenty-five years ago at Bhagwangad, the cemetery and workplace of the great Saint Bhagwan Baba. [19] During this Melava, Gopinath Munde addressed the community, setting new directions and conditions, known as 'Shimoullanghan,' symbolizing the start of something new.
After his death, his successor, daughter Pankaja Munde, took over the tradition. In 2016, due to a dispute with the Mahant of the Gad, Pankaja Munde decided to hold the Dasara Melava at Savargaon, the birthplace of Saint Bhagwan Baba. [20] The Dasara Melava, held with large crowds and great enthusiasm, was successfully continued by Pankaja Munde in Savargaon.
Bhagwangad is a place of power for the Bahujan and Other Backward Class (OBC) community. Over the years, many notable figures have attended the rally and addressed the gathering, including veterans like Sambhaji Raje, Amit Shah, Prakash Yashwant Ambedkar, Mahadev Jankar, Eknath Khadse and many other monks and saints. [21] [22]
Every year, lakhs of devotees and supporters enthusiastically participate in this rally. [23]
Pramod Venkatesh Mahajan was an Indian politician from Maharashtra. A second-generation leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), he belonged to a group of relatively young "technocratic" leaders. At the time of his death, he was in a power struggle for the leadership of the BJP, given the imminent retirement of its aging top brass.
Gopinathrao Pandurang Munde was an Indian politician from the state of Maharashtra, often called a Lokneta, meaning a people's leader. He was a senior leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and served as the Union Minister for Rural Development and Panchayati Raj in Narendra Modi's cabinet until his death. Munde was well-known for his efforts in curbing the underworld in Mumbai during his tenure as Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra, overseeing the Ministry of Home Affairs from 1995 to 1999. He was a key figure in introducing the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA), later ratified by the Supreme Court of India.
Raosaheb Dadarao Danve is an Indian politician and former Minister of State in the Ministry of Railways, Ministry of Coal and Ministry of Mines in Second Modi ministry. He is a member of Bharatiya Janata Party and was elected to Lok Sabha from Jalna constituency for five straight terms beginning in 1999 until 2024. He previously served as Minister of State for Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution from 30 May 2019 to 7 July 2021 and also served as the Maharashtra state President of BJP.
Parli Vaijnath is a city and a municipal council in Beed district in the Indian state of Maharashtra. Parli is Second largest city in terms of size and population in Bid district. It is the headquarters of the Parli taluka of Beed district.There are 12 Jyotirlinga in India one of which is Vaidyanath Jyotirlinga located in Parli Vaijnath.
Eknath Khadse is a politician and leader of the Nationalist Congress Party in Maharashtra state. He was a Member of Legislative Assembly of Maharashtra from Muktainagar constituency for six consecutive terms till 2019. He was a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party from 1987 until his resignation in October 2020. He is a member of Legislative Council of Maharashtra.
Devendra Gangadharrao Fadnavis is an Indian politician currently serving as the Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra since 30 June 2022, alongside Ajit Pawar. He previously held the position of Chief Minister of Maharashtra from 31 October 2014 to 12 November 2019. From 2019 to 2022, he served as the Leader of the Opposition in the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly and was the President of BJP's Maharashtra state unit from 2013 to 2015. He became Chief Minister at the age of 44, making him the second-youngest in Maharashtra's history after Sharad Pawar. During the 2019 Maharashtra political crisis, he briefly held a second term as Chief Minister for 5 days before resigning on 28 November 2019. Fadnavis has been a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), He has represented the Nagpur South West constituency in the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly since 2009, having previously served Nagpur West from 1999 to 2009. Additionally, he held the position of Mayor of Nagpur from 1997 to 2001.
Although a parliamentary democracy, Indian politics has increasingly become dynastic, possibly due to the absence of a party organization, independent civil society associations that mobilize support for the party, and centralized financing of elections. Family members have also led the Congress party for most of the period since 1978 when Indira Gandhi floated the then Congress(I) faction of the party. It also is fairly common in many political parties in Maharashtra. The dynastic phenomenon is seen from national level down to district level and even village level.The three-tier structure of Panchayati Raj established in the 1960s also helped to create and consolidate the dynastic phenomenon in rural areas. Apart from government,political families also control cooperative institutions, mainly cooperative sugar factories,district cooperative banks in the state, and since the 1980s private for profit colleges. The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party also features several senior leaders who are dynasts. In Maharashtra, the NCP has particularly high level of dynasticism.
Pritam Gopinath Munde is an Indian politician and doctor who was previously a Member of Parliament in Lok Sabha from Beed. She is the second daughter of late BJP leader Gopinath Munde. In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, she emerged as a victorious candidate by defeating Bajrang Manohar Sonwane of Nationalist Congress Party by a margin of 1.68 lakh votes. However, her sister Pankaja Munde stood for that seat in the 2024 Lol Sabha elections and lost to Sonwane.
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The 2023 Nationalist Congress Party split occurred on 2 July 2023, when Ajit Pawar, along with several other party leaders, broke away from the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) led by his uncle Sharad Pawar and joined the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-Shiv Sena alliance government in Maharashtra. Ajit Pawar was sworn in as Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra, along with eight other NCP leaders who took oath as ministers. This led to a vertical split in the party, with two factions emerging: one led by Sharad Pawar and the other by Ajit Pawar. The split resulted in a legal battle over the party's name and symbol. On 6 February 2024, the Election Commission of India (ECI) awarded the party name and symbol to the faction headed by Ajit Pawar. The faction led by Sharad Pawar was subsequently recognized as Nationalist Congress Party. On 5 March 2024, Maharashtra Assembly Speaker Rahul Narwekar declared the Ajit Pawar faction as the "real" NCP, citing its legislative majority.
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