Pankaja Munde Touted As Maharashtra’s Future CM, Even Supporters Astounded

Notwithstanding her two successive defeats in general elections and her backdoor entry into the state legislative council, BJP leader Pankaja Munde’s supporters have once again started propagating her name as a future CM of Maharashtra. Pankaja’s birthday falls on July 26 but she has decided not to celebrate it this year since three of her supporters reportedly committed suicide owing to her defeat in the recent Lok Sabha election. As MLC, she will visit her home district, Beed in Marathwada on July 29. Her supporters have started preparations to welcome her. As part of this euphoria, banners to laud her have come up in certain parts. Those in Buldana have become talk of the town since her image is shown, along with the headline: Future CM. Pankaja had lost the 2019 assembly election against her cousin Dhananjay Munde though she was a sitting minister. Now that both are on the same side of the ruling alliance, he had worked for Pankaja’s victory in the Lok Sabha election but she could not win. Following this defeat, pressure began mounting on the three-party Mahayuti government to ‘accommodate’ her. Accordingly, she was fielded by the BJP for the council election. Due to the assured quota of votes from the lower house, she is now a MLC. But the claims that she is a mass leader by her supporters have astounded even people sympathetic to her since she is the daughter of legendary Gopinath Munde.