Pramod Mahajan's death-biggest political news in 2006

Mumbai, Dec 20 (UNI) The seven train bomb blasts on 7/11, suicides by hundreds of debt ridden farmers and murder of four persons from a Dalit family at Khairlanji were among the major events in Maharashtra in 2006.

The death of 57-year-old BJP leader Pramod Mahajan, who was shot at by his younger brother Pravin at his residence at Worli in south central Mumbai on April 22 created a big void not only in Maharashtra but also in national political scene.

The reason for firing three rounds from an automatic revolver on Pramod Mahajan, still remains a mystery even as Pravin is languishing in jail and the case is still going on in court.

Mahajan's initials were PM and due to excellent oratory and organisational skills he was always considered the 'Prime Ministrial' candidate in the BJP. his death put an end to all speculation.

Mahajan remained in the news for the whole year even after his death on May 3 as his personal assistant Bibek Biman Moitra died within a couple of months due to an overdose of drugs and his son Rahul was alsoinvolved in the same drug controversy.

Rahul, who tried to make an entry into politics after the death of his father and even attended the national council meeting of the BJP recently, got involved in yet another controversy of 'ill treatment and torture ' to his wife Shweta. Both Rahul and Shweta have denied the news report given by an eveninger from Mumbai.

Besides, Mahajan's daughter Poonam Mahajan-Rao has now joined the BJP.

The murder of Mahajan has not only affected the BJP but also the Shiv Sena-BJP alliance of Maharashtra as the late Mahajan was considered the architect of the alliance.

After the death of Pramod Mahajan, the centralisation in the state BJP has ended. Mr Nitin Gadkari has got a second term as the state Party President while Mahajan's brother-in-law Gopinath Munde is tipped to take up responsibility in the party at the national level.

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