Pankaja Munde's Sangharsh Yatra cut short

As part of the Sangharsh Yatra, Munde was expected to tour the entire state; but now she will cover only 6-7 districts in Maharashtra

Pankaja Munde’s struggles seem to be coming to an end — well, almost. A month after top Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders refused to allow her to undertake the Sangharsh Yatra, her plan finally sees the light of day, albeit with severe restrictions.

Pankaja Munde

Tomorrow, BJP state president Devendra Fadanvis, and state leader Vinod Tawde will announce her yatra at the city’s BJP office. However, originally, Munde was supposed to travel across Maharashtra but will now cover only the Marathwada region. It is believed that BJP leaders who opposed the move feared that the success of the yatra will bring Munde to the limelight and overshadow others among them.

“On Monday, the state president will announce Pankaja’s Sangharsh Yatra. Munde has waited for over a month for this,” said a senior BJP leader on the condition of anonymity. The leader claimed that the party high command made her wait because they were mulling over the move. “Pankaja is young and doesn’t have a supporter base in Maharashtra.

However, in Marathwada (the region includes Aurangabad, Beed, Jalna, Latur and Nanded) she enjoys some clout because of her father’s supporters. If she were to go around the entire state and not get the expected support, it would jeopardise her future prospects. The leaders were being cautious,” said the leader.

However, Munde’s supporters rubbished the claim and felt that some party members felt threatened. “Some BJP leaders feared that if Pankaja became as successful as her father in the yatra, she will be in the league of top state leaders. That is why they delayed the decision,” added the leader.

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