Pankaja Munde to Rajya Sabha? Devendra Fadnavis says central leadership will decide
Nagpur: Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister and senior BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis on Thursday said the party’s central leadership will take a call on whether to nominate leader Pankaja Munde for the Rajya Sabha elections, give ticket for the Lok Sabha polls or offer any other post in the party.
He also said that it was up to the central leadership of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to decide candidates for the upcoming elections to the Upper House of Parliament.
Munde is currently the BJP secretary. She was a minister during the Fadnavis-led government in Maharashtra between 2014-19.
Munde, who is late BJP stalwart Gopinath Munde’s daughter, had lost the 2019 Maharashtra assembly elections. She was denied a nomination to the state legislative council, elections for which were held in June 2022.
Six Rajya Sabha members from Maharashtra, including BJP leaders Narayan Rane and Prakash Javadekar, will retire in April this year. The biennial elections for 56 seats will be held on February 27.
Replying to a query about his meeting with Munde, Fadnavis said, “Pankaja tai is a leader of our party and there should be nothing surprising about a meeting between us. No discussion about Rajya Sabha was held during our meeting. We held political and party-related talks.” To a query whether Munde will be given the Rajya Sabha candidature, the former chief minister said, “Our seniors take a decision about who will go to the Rajya Sabha…Pankaja tai is our (party’s) national secretary and whatever decision – be it sending her to the Rajya Sabha or to the Lok Sabha or giving any post to her will be taken by the central leadership. I believe a good decision will be taken.”
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