Pankaja Munde loses elections again

Mumbai: State women and child development minister Pankaja Munde on Monday lost one more crucial election to her estranged cousin and opposition leader Dhananjay Munde.

In the agriculture product market committee (APMC), her panel was able to win only four out of the 18 seats. While Dhananjay Munde ’s panel won as many as 14 seats.

This is Pankaja Munde’s fourth straight defeat after she lost control over other governing bodies in recent elections.

But her defeat is also being seen as an outcome of rivalry within her party, BJP. APMCs are always crucial for the rural economy.

Pankaja’s losing control over APMC indicates further giving away of her base to Dhananjay.

Recently, her panel lost in the elections to the Parli municipal council and the Parli Panchayat Samiti. Pankaja Munde faced defeat in the Zilla Parishad polls too, losing eight out of 10 seats.

Almost in all cases, she lost to Dhananjay Munde who is working hard after losing the 2014 assembly elections to her by 28,000 votes.

But there is also buzz in political circles that Pankaja is losing steam because of internal squabbles in the party and certain anti-Pankaja groups helping Dhananjay against her.

Pankaja Munde has always been perceived as a potential chief ministerial candidate. In fact her statement a year and a half ago of being the “chief minister in people’s minds” was much written about and widely discussed.

It is being said that especially after Pankaja Munde made such a statement, certain groups have been trying to strategically clip her wings. Giving power to Dhananjay against her seems to be part of this plan.