Maratha anger, not opponent, is what Pankaja needs to worry about: Experts

BJP leader Pankaja Munde is contesting the Lok Sabha elections 2024 from her home turf Beed in Marathwada Though the Mundes are the strongest political family in the region they are facing an uphill battle this time as the Maratha and Dhangar reservation issue can upset the apple cartThe leaderrsquos sister Dr Pritam Munde defeated the undivided NCP candidate Bajrang Sonwane by 169 lakh votes in the 2019 Lok Sabha election after securing 678 lakh votesSonwanemdashthe chairman of a cooperative sugar factory in the regionmdashis in the fray as the NCP SPrsquos candidateA senior local journalist said Sonwane had mastered the art of making a cooperative sugar mill profitable ldquoThe Munde family runs a cooperative sugar mill but it is seeing huge losses Sonwane will benefit from the Maratha reservation matter There are some issues regarding quotas for Dhangars and other OBC communities but they are not as pressing as that of Maratha reservationrdquo he addedDatta Deshmukh a political observer said ldquoThe opponent is not a big challenge for Pankaja Munde Her main challenge is Maratha reservationrdquoHe added that other castes had been upset with the Mundes but the Maratha reservation issue was ldquotheir only concernrdquo ldquoShe has a good network at the booth level which will help her during the electionsrdquo Deshmukh addedManoj Satpute another journalist working in Beed also highlighted that the Maratha reservation matter could impact Mundersquos performance ldquoThis is the first time we have witnessed a split in the community over reservation during an election in Beedrdquo he saidDhangar angerWhen this reporter visited the village of Shindewadi in Beed district which is dominated by the Dhangar community he learnt that the community was upset with the Mahayuti government Baburao Shendge a resident said ldquoWe are upset with the BJP as it has not kept its word about reservation We will show our strength through the ballotrdquoThe Dhangar community in Maharashtra which has been traditionally engaged in sheep grazing has been getting reservation as a nomadic tribe in the state but it is demanding scheduled tribe status According to data available the community accounts for around 50000 to 60000 votes so it may not have as large an impact as Marathas at the polling booth another senior journalist saidGhansham Bhole of Khandvi village a Maratha said ldquoOur longstanding demand reservation has not yet not been fulfilled We expected the government to keep its promiserdquoAccording to reports Maratha protesters were the most aggressive in the Beed constituency The homes of legislators Prakash Solanke and Sandeep Kshirsagarmdashfrom the Ajit and Sharad Pawar factions respectivelymdashwere torched amid the protest The total number of voters in the constituency is about 21 lakh Of these 33 to 35 per cent are Marathas while the percentage of the OBC voters is around 28 to 29 per cent Muslims and Dalits account for 9 to 10 per cent and 12 to 13 per cent of the electorate respectivelyImportance of OBCsThis time Pankaja Munde depends on OBC voters given the Maratha situation However the community is upset with her to some extent as she had stayed clear from OBC Elgaar Melava events which were held since 2023 to protest the state governmentrsquos decision to give Kunbi certificates to MarathasThe BJP leaderrsquos father Gopinath Munde was elected from Beed Lok Sabha constituency in 2009 and 2014 After Munde passed away during his second term Pritam Munde contested the byelection and won This time the party picked her sister as its candidate Pankaja Munde was a minister from 2014 to 2019 She contested the Assembly election from the Parli seat in 2019 but lost to her thenestranged cousin Dhananjay MundeMuslim votesMuslims account for around 10 to 11 per cent of voters in the constituency In Beed a large number of Muslim voters used to favour the late Gopinath Munde but their votes are now divided between the BJP and NCPMahayuti powerFive of the six Assembly segments in the Beed Lok Sabha constituency are represented by Mahayuti leaders Georairsquos Laxman Pawar and Kaijrsquos Namita Mundada belong to the BJP Majalgoanrsquos Prakash Solanki Ashtirsquos Balasaheb Ajabe and Parlirsquos Dhananjay Munde belong to the NCP While Sandeep Kshirsagar of Beed belongs to the NCP SPCousins unitedDhananjay Munde has been actively participating in his cousinrsquos campaign Observers claim he has good connections on the ground The combined total of votes of Pankaja and Dhananjay Munde in the 2019 Assembly election in Parli constituency was 213 lakh Even after taking into account the possible impact of the Maratha movement on her performance this figure is significant observers addedJarange Munde share stageMaratha reservation activist Manoj Jarange Patil and Pankaja Munde shared a stage on Sunday during a programme organised at Sirasmarg The body language of both spoke a lot about Maratha resentment Recently Jarange appealed to Marathas to refrain from electing particular candidatesCandidatersquos strengths and weaknessesPankaja Munde BJP candidateAdvantagesmiddot Known as an OBC leader she enjoys the Vanjari communityrsquos supportmiddot Muslims can vote for hermiddot Receiving good support from MLA Dhananjay Munde who is wellconnectedmiddot BJP has good groundlevel connectmiddot Good poll managementDisadvantagesmiddot Maratha voters are upset with BJP and Munde will face their angermiddot No large industries have been established in district in past decademiddot AhmednagarBeedParli railway line a longpending demand of locals hasnrsquot come upmiddot After her Assembly poll defeat connections with the people were reducedmiddot Unable to make profits in the sugar Mill and sectorBajrang Sonwane NCP SP candidateAdvantagesmiddot Has a good network within the cooperative movement Successfully running two sugar mills indicating his management and planning skillsmiddot Voters sympathise with Sharad Pawar and Uddhav Thackeraymiddot Marathas Dalits and Muslims are likely to support himmiddot Antiincumbency against Mundes as the family has ruled the district for more than two decadesDisadvantagesmiddot Lacks good boothlevel network in the districtmiddot Didnrsquot maintain groundlevel connection defeat in last general electionmiddot Lacks districtlevel leader who can impress votersmiddot Not good at election management