The Parli Assembly seat in Beed district, brought to prominence on Maharashtra’s political map by BJP veteran late Gopinath Munde, will again see his daughter Pankaja Munde and nephew Dhananjay Munde lock horns for supremacy in the upcoming State Assembly polls.
BJP leader Pankaja Munde, a minister in the Devendra Fadnavis-led state Cabinet, defeated her cousin and NCP leader by a margin of 25,000 votes in the 2014 polls from Parli, a rural pocket located about 470 km from Mumbai.
The BJP is aiming to retain the seat this time by highlighting the developmental works carried in the area, including fast-tracking of the rail route network.
The saffron party is confident that people from the segment will vote for Pankaja Munde, who is the Minister for rural development and women and child welfare, and also Beed’s guardian Minister.
However, Dhananjay Munde, who is Leader of the Opposition in State Legislative Council, is banking on the “poor performance” of his cousin sister to usher in the “change that’s imminent”.
While the BJP says people of the segment, dominated by Vanjari and Maratha communities, have experienced development, the NCP leader claims his cousin sister could not ensure growth of Parli, despite holding four portfolios in the state Cabinet and her party in controlling position at the Centre.
“Not a single irrigation project was developed over past five years in the constituency,” Dhananjay Munde said.