Maha polls: BJP endorses Pankaja, is it an attempt to woo significant OBC voters?

Pankaja Munde, daughter of late Gopinath Munde is all set to take up the mantle left behind by her father. She is seeking re-election from Parli constituency in the upcoming Assembly polls.

Speaking at a public gathering, Pankaja said that she will make efforts to fulfill her father's dreams and that she won't say 'no' if her party asks her to become the CM. "I have never thought of portraying myself as the Chief Minister of Maharashtra. But after Mundesaheb, I took over and the people, of course, want me to take his place. If my party asks me to be the Chief Minister, I will not say no," Pankaja was quoted as saying in media reports.

The 35 year old MLA has received huge support of a large number of OBCs who earlier were strong supporters of her late father.

Endorsing her, BJP national president Amit Shah has asked the OBC community in Maharashtra to unite under the leadership of Pankaja Munde. Shah said that Pankaja will be the chief leader of OBCs in future.

Pankaja had tried to position herself as the heir apparent of Gopinath Munde when she campaigned for her father in the Lok Sabha polls. Munde, BJP's OBC face in the State and a Union Minister in Modi Government died in a road accident in New Delhi on 3 June 2014.

Earlier, Pankaja had expressed her gratitude to Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray for not placing party candidates against her sister Pritam Munde and herself.

A day before, Uddhav had declared that the Shiv Sena would not field candidates against Pankaja and Pritam Munde who are BJP candidates contesting in the upcoming Maharashtra Assembly and Lok Sabha by-poll election respectively.