Pankaja Munde rubbishes rumours of leaving BJP, asserts 'This is my party'

Addressing a gathering in Beed on Thursday, BJP leader Pankaja Munde asserted that BJP was her party. She was reacting to rumours that she was inactive and planning to leave the party. Maintaining that she was present in every BJP meeting despite her loss in the 2019 Maharashtra Assembly elections, she added that she had tried her level best to ensure that BJP formed the government in the state. She was speaking at a function which was organised to commemorate the birth anniversary of her father Gopinath Munde, who was a senior leader of BJP and served as the Deputy Chief Minister in the first Sena-BJP government in 1995.  

Read: Plot Thickens? BJP's Lotus & PM Modi's Pictures Missing From Pankaja Munde's Event Banners

Munde said, "Even after my loss, I was present in every meeting. I did everything possible to help form the government. The party does not belong to a person. Even Modiji himself says that he is the worker of the party. This is my party."

Read: Shiv Sena Says 'will Be Happy To Welcome Pankaja Munde' On Speculation Over Her BJP Exit

Munde reportedly miffed with BJP

A few days ago, Pankaja Munde’s Twitter bio set the rumour mills abuzz as references to her association with BJP were removed. In an emotional appeal on Facebook, she urged her supporters to come for a rally in Beed on December 12, where she promised to talk about her future. Furthermore, BJP's symbol 'Lotus' and images of Prime Minister Narendra Modi were absent from the posters for her Beed event. Considered as a potential rival to former Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, she lost in the 2019 Maharashtra Assembly elections to her cousin and NCP leader Dhananjay Munde by a margin of approximately 30,000 votes. The Shiv Sena publicly stated that it would happily welcome her if she joined the party. 

Read: Pankaja Munde Creates Flutter By Dropping BJP From Twitter Bio, Fuels Resignation Rumours

BJP rejects reports

Earlier, talking to the media on December 2, Maharashtra BJP president Chandrakant Patil dismissed the reports of Pankaja Munde leaving the party. He blamed this speculation on the advent of the Uddhav Thackeray-led ‘accidental’ government. Revealing that the party was continuously in touch with Munde, he asserted that she would always remain with the party. Patil also mentioned that nothing much should be read into Munde organising a function on the birth anniversary of her father. 

(With ANI inputs)

Read: BJP Clears Air After Pankaja Munde Triggers Speculation; Blames 'accidental Government'