Sibling rivalry turned alliance: The Munde saga in Maharashtra’s Parli constituency

BJP leader Pankaja Munde is rallying support for her cousin and former rival, Dhananjay Munde, who is the NCP candidate.

What is intriguing in the Parli assembly constituency of Maharashtra is that a brother and sister, who contested against each other in 2019, are now part of the same alliance and campaigning together. BJP leader Pankaja Munde is rallying support for her cousin and former rival, Dhananjay Munde, who is the NCP candidate.

The political rivalry between Dhananjay Munde and Pankaja Munde began when Dhananjay quit the BJP and joined the NCP. Dhananjay is a nephew of the late BJP stalwart Gopinath Munde, while Pankaja is his daughter. In 2014, Pankaja and Dhananjay contested against each other, with Pankaja emerging victorious and subsequently being inducted into Devendra Fadnavis's cabinet. However, in a bitterly fought 2019 election, Dhananjay defeated Pankaja. Pankaja’s supporters blamed Devendra Fadnavis for the loss, as Dhananjay and Fadnavis were known to be good friends. It was also alleged that Fadnavis conspired to clip the wings of potential rivals, which included Pankaja.

For five years, Pankaja was kept out of Maharashtra politics and was made National Secretary of the BJP. The political rivalry between Dhananjay and Pankaja, which had by then taken on a personal dimension, ended in July 2023 when Ajit Pawar led a rebellion in the NCP and joined the Mahayuti. Dhananjay aligned with Ajit Pawar’s camp. In the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, Dhananjay campaigned for Pankaja, but she lost by a narrow margin.

Parli is one of the constituencies where both factions of the NCP are in a direct contest. Dhananjay Munde is being challenged by Rajasaheb Deshmukh of Sharad Pawar’s NCP. Sharad Pawar is showing special interest in Parli and recently addressed a rally in the constituency, attacking Dhananjay. Pawar claimed that he had helped Dhananjay out of trouble multiple times, only to be betrayed.

Dhananjay's rival, Rajasaheb, has highlighted the issue of unemployment in the constituency, even pledging to help young men—who are unable to marry due to lack of livelihood—find stability. Parli, part of Beed district, was heavily impacted by the violent agitation for Maratha reservation. The caste factor, which contributed to the Mahayuti’s poor performance in the Lok Sabha polls, remains significant in the Vidhan elections. However, Dhananjay Munde’s hopes lie in consolidating the OBC votes.