I will ensure sister Pritam won't have to sit at home: Pankaja after nomination from Beed LS seat

Former Maharashtra minister and BJPs Beed Lok Sabha seat candidate Pankaja Munde on Thursday said she will ensure that her sister Pritam, who currently represents that constituency, will not have to sit at home as she herself had to do following her defeat in the 2019 state assembly polls.

Former Maharashtra minister and BJP's Beed Lok Sabha seat candidate Pankaja Munde on Thursday said she will ensure that her sister Pritam, who currently represents that constituency, will not have to sit at home as she herself had to do following her defeat in the 2019 state assembly polls. She also said she did not expect her nomination for the parliamentary elections, but now she is as excited as a candidate is before the first job interview.

Pankaja, who is Bharatiya Janata Party's secretary, was named as the Beed candidate by the ruling party in its second list of Lok Sabha candidates released on Wednesday. Her younger sister Pritam has been representing the Beed seat since 2014.

Their father late Gopinath Munde had won the Beed parliamentary constituency in 2009 and 2014. However, his death in 2014 led to Pritam contesting and winning that year's bypoll from there along with the 2019 elections. With Pankaja's candidature now, the BJP has given candidature to the third member of the same family.

Talking to reporters in her home district Beed, the Munde sisters said their top priority is now to win the seat.

Commenting on a question related to Pritam's future plans, Pankaja said, ''After I lost the 2019 assembly elections, I spent most of the time at home. However, I will ensure that my sister Pritam does not face the same predicament. I am giving my word to her and not displacing her.'' ''Pritam is a doctor by profession, but she gave up her career and entered politics. We shall not forget her sacrifice,'' the former women and child development minister said. Much before the BJP named Pankaja as the candidate, there was a buzz about it in political circles. Replying to a query about it, she said, ''Even I had heard such talks, but I never reacted or commented. I was not confident about it until I saw my name in the list. I was personally not expecting my nomination.'' ''I am now as excited as anyone is before the first job interview,'' she said.

Pankaja lost the assembly election in 2019 as a BJP candidate from Parli assembly constituency in Beed against her cousin and NCP leader Dhananjay Munde, who is now part of the Eknath Shinde-led Maharashtra government. When asked about Dhananjay's role in the Lok Sabha elections, Pankaja said, ''I hope with his support, we will win the Beed Lok Sabha seat with higher margins.''

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