What is BJP's strategy behind giving ticket to Pankaja Munde?
bjp has announced its candidates for 20 lok sabha seats in Maharashtra. Pankaja Munde has been given ticket from Beed in the second candidate list released on Wednesday, march 13. The decision to field Pankaja Munde, daughter of former maharashtra minister and late senior party leader Gopinath Munde, from Beed in maharashtra can be considered a deliberate step to woo OBC voters.
Actually, 52 percent of the population of maharashtra is OBC. At the same time, Pankaja Munde, who has influence in the Vanjari community, is being seen as an emerging OBC leader. bjp clearly sees in Pankaja the potential to garner support from the OBC community, which will be important not only in Beed, but also in seven other lok sabha seats in the Marathwada region. Marathwada is the same region where pro-Maratha activist Manoj Jarange Patil had protested demanding reservation, especially in the OBC quota.
Pankaja had lost the assembly elections to brother dhananjay Munde.
Pankaja had lost the 2019 assembly elections from Parli in her home district Beed against her cousin and then undivided nationalist congress party member dhananjay Munde. However, the political rivalry has now turned into a cordial relationship after the Ajit Pawar-led ncp joined the current Shiv Sena-BJP government led by Eknath Shinde. dhananjay Munde is now the Agriculture minister in the Mahayuti government.
Pankaja Munde had also raised the demand for OBC reservation.
On the maratha and OBC quota controversy, Pankaja Munde stood firm on her stance that the government should provide reservation to the maratha community, which would also stand the test of law. He had strongly said that the bitterness between maratha and OBC communities should end.