E-Paper
Pankaja Munde given added responsibility for assembly polls
BJP leader Pankaja Munde is actively preparing for assembly elections in Pune, overseeing key constituencies to strengthen ties with women and OBC voters.
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Pankaja Munde has become increasingly active in Pune city and Western Maharashtra after the party assigned her significant responsibilities ahead of the upcoming assembly elections. Munde is overseeing five assembly constituencies in Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad.
On Tuesday, Munde visited the Chinchwad assembly constituency and held a meeting with party workers. BJP MLA Ashwini Jagtap currently represents this area following the death of Laxman Jagtap.
Munde urged party workers to prepare diligently for the elections, emphasizing that while the party will decide on the candidates, workers must begin their groundwork immediately. After being sidelined for several years, Munde’s renewed activity follows a setback for the BJP in the Lok Sabha elections. The party aims to leverage her increased engagement to strengthen its connection with women and OBC voters.
In Pune city, Munde has been given the charge of three constituencies including Wadgaonsheri. Her appointment will help former MLA Jagdish Mulik. The current MLA from Wadgaonsheri is Sunil Tingre of the Ajit Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (NCP). The ruling coalition - led by chief minister Eknath Shinde; with deputy chief ministers Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar – will contest the assembly elections as a coalition.
The party with the sitting MLA is expected to retain the seat, giving Tingre a potential advantage. Whereas Mulik is lobbying for a ticket from Wadgaonsheri and has a close relationship with Fadnavis. Despite having lost the assembly elections five years ago, Mulik remains hopeful, especially with Munde now in charge of Wadgaonsheri among others.
