Contested Beed Lok Sabha Election Against My Wish, Didn’t Feel Bad About Loss, Says Pankaja Munde

BJP leader Pankaja Munde stated that she contested the Lok Sabha election from Beed this year against her will and did not feel bad about her defeat. While canvassing for her cousin, NCP leader Dhananjay Munde, in the lead-up to the November 20 Maharashtra polls, the BJP MLC expressed on Sunday that campaigning for him felt like a "send-off party," as if she were being relieved of a responsibility.

Pankaja Munde held a Diwali Sneh Milan in Parli, where she addressed her supporters on Sunday.    "While seeking votes for Dhananjay Munde, I feel like I am receiving a send-off party and being freed of a responsibility. I fought the Lok Sabha election against my wish. I did not cry after my defeat, but cried when someone committed suicide after my loss," she said.

In the 2024 general election, BJP General Secretary Pankaja Munde lost to Congress's Bajrang Sonawane by approximately 6,500 votes. Elections for the 288-member Maharashtra state assembly are expected to be held in November. The BJP is a partner in the ruling Mahayuti coalition, which includes the Ajit Pawar-led NCP and the Shiv Sena, headed by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.

"I don't feel anything about the (Parli) constituency going to Dhananjay in seat-sharing because I am an MLC now, and we have spent a lot of energy against each other," she said.