Had Gopinath Munde been around, Maharashtra politics would have been different: Sanjay Raut

The late Gopinath Munde (right) Sena MP Sanjay Raut

Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut on Sunday said had senior BJP leader Gopinath Munde been alive the current political scenario in Maharashtra would have been different.

The late Munde, the OBC stalwart from the Marathwada region, and Pramod Mahajan were considered as architects of the alliance between Shiv Sena and BJP which formed their first combined government in Maharashtra in 1995. Munde had held the post of Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra in 1995-1999.

The Sena and BJP shared power again, though with altered equations, from 2014 to 2019 under Devendra Fadnavis. The Sena parted its ways with BJP after the October 2019 assembly polls and joined hands with ideologically asymmetrical NCP and Congress.

"Gopinath Munde had worked hard to ensure that the alliance between Shiv Sena and BJP not only continues but remains strong. There is no leader of the stature of Munde in BJP with whom one can strike a dialogue. He understood the state politics and Shiv Sena very well," Raut told reporters when asked to share his thoughts about Munde who shares his birthday with NCP chief Sharad Pawar on December 12.

Reacting to Raut's comments, Munde's daughter and former Maharashtra minister Pankaja Munde said, "Even I feel that had Balasaheb Thackeray and Mundeji been around, the political scene would have been different. One can think about it positively in future". Munde had died in a road accident in June 2014 in Delhi.

Speaking about Sharad Pawar, Raut said Pawar has an important role to play in forging an alternative opposition alliance in the country. "Pawar's contribution in the defence and agriculture sectors in India is immense. The Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) experiment wouldn't have been possible without Pawar," he said.

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