Mahajan-Munde family being sidelined, say MVA leaders

The Mahajan-Munde family is being sidelined by some BJP leaders in Maharashtra, top Maha Vikas Aghadi leaders said on Thursday, a day after the saffron opposition denied nomination to Pankaja Munde to the Legislative Council.

Pankaja, a former rural development minister in the erstwhile BJP-Shiv Sena government, is currently the national secretary of the BJP and in charge of Madhya Pradesh.

Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut and veteran NCP leader Eknath Khadse criticised the BJP for the denial of ticket to Pankaja.

Also Read | Pankaja Munde denied Maharashtra Legislative Council ticket

Both Pramod Mahajan and his brother-in-law Gopinath Munde were stalwarts of the BJP and had been union ministers.

Pankaja is the daughter of Munde and the niece of Mahajan.

Incidentally, Pankaja’s sister Dr Pritam Munde is BJP MP from Beed while her cousin and Mahajan’s daughter Poonam Mahajan-Rao is the BJP MP from Mumbai North Central.

In fact, there is a lot of resentment after BJP denied Pankaja, who lost the 2019 Assembly election, a nomination for the Council.

In the past, she had been denied a Rajya Sabha nomination.

“She has been denied a ticket…some people are sidelining the Mahajan-Munde family, that’s what we suspect….some people are doing it behind the curtains,” Raut said.

“It is an internal matter of any party…but we (Shiv Sena) have enjoyed good relations with Mahajan and Munde…we worked together…she is a big leader like her father…but the reactions to the denial of nomination to her has not gone down well,” he added.

“Though it is an internal matter (of BJP) whom to give a ticket or not, she is a senior leader, an OBC leader and denied a ticket…the Mahajan-Munde family seems to be sidelined…in fact, Munde saheb built the BJP in Maharashtra brick by brick…he gave leadership, he fought and strengthened BJP,” said Khadse, adding that denial of nomination is an injustice to Pankaja.

“People who have no contribution come and get nominations,” he said.