He nurtured BJP in Maharashtra with loving care
The sudden demise of Gopinath Munde in a road accident days after he took oath as a Union Cabinet Minister and before he could take oath in the lok Sabha, is a setback that the Bharatiya Janata Party will feel not just at the Centre where he would have, from all accounts, made a good Minister for Rural Development — the portfolio he had got — but also in Maharashtra, his home State. Munde was the BJP's tallest leader in the State and there was talk that he could be the chief ministerial face of the party in the run-up to the Assembly election which is due there in a few months' time. But, regardless of his having been projected as the chief ministerial candidate, the party critically needed his services in the State. In the more than three decades which he had spent in social life and politics, Munde had built an impressive mass base for himself and his party. Along with Pramod Mahajan, he was instrumental not just in forging the party's alliance with the Shiv Sena but also navigating it through troubled times. With Mahajan's death, the onus fell largely on Munde, and he handled the responsibility admirably. While in the years since Mahajan's death, several leaders have emerged from the BJP's ranks from Maharashtra, none could reach the pinnacle that Munde did. This is also because Munde's appeal cut across party lines. He networked extremely well with senior leaders from rival parties, and never allowed personal egos to come in the way of establishing relationships that went beyond party affiliations. This much was evident at his funeral where the senior-most leaders of the Congress, the Nationalist Congress Party and others were at attendance. In addition, a number of leaders send in their heartfelt (genuine) condolences. While the BJP cannot possibly make up for his loss, it has Munde's legacy to benefit from. Munde had brought the party to a strong position in Maharashtra, and the BJP has to carry that forward. Had Munde been around, the party would not have had to spend sleepless nights in anticipation of the forthcoming Assembly election in the State. The BJP would have been content in the knowledge that it had a strong and widely acceptable leader to steer the party and the alliance.
However, it is unlikely that the void he has created will in any way result in problems for the party in that State. On the other hand, his memory will act as a cementing force for all groups within the BJP and the Shiv Sena to renew their pledge to oust the Congress-NCP alliance from power in Maharashtra. It is what Munde looked forward to, and this is what leaders of the grand alliance must endeavour for. The time is ripe as the people of the State are disgusted with the performance of the ruling alliance. This was to a large extent reflected in the recent drubbing the Congress-NCP combine got in the election on seats to the lok Sabha from the State.