MUMBAI: On June 4, as a Navy plane prepared to fly Gopinath Munde’s body to his hometown Parli from Mumbai, his daughter Pankaja Palve was busy following one of his last orders. Her father had told her never to forgive his nephew Dhananjay for abandoning him. She denied Dhananjay a place in the plane and forced him out of the airport.
Known for her willpower, Pankaja has emerged as Munde’s political heir over the last couple of years. Now, her younger sister Pritam Khade too is all set to join politics with a claim on Munde’s Lok Sabha constituency, Beed.
Pankaja was in the US with her software engineer husband Amit and son till she got a call from Munde one night in 2007. The Maharashtra BJP stalwart asked her whether she could relocate to India and assist him in his constituency. It was a tough decision, but she shifted to Pune with her family and started playing second fiddle to her father.
“Amit was earning $70,000 per month then. His future was in the dark if relocated to India, but he did not protest,” Munde had told this correspondent two months before his death.
Munde suspected Dhananjay had a hidden nexus with his political opponents in Nationalist Congress Party (NCP). Munde wanted someone trustworthy to look after his constituency Parli. He was confident that Pankaja would not disappoint him.
By the end of 2007, Pankaja had become Munde’s shadow in Beed. The soft-spoken commerce postgraduate not only handled his office, but also boosted the morale of his supporters. Though she grew up in Mumbai, Pankaja is adept in the art of churning out Maharashtrian delicacies like bhakri and thecha on a chulha. The rural people of her community, the Vanjaris, had no problems in accepting her as one of their own.
In 2009, Munde got elected to the Lok Sabha for the first time and Pankaja became his obvious choice to replace him in Parli. She won with a huge margin.
She kept a low profile for the first two years and concentrated on learning the ABC of legislature proceedings. She attracted attention in the House when she spoke in 2012 about female foeticide in Beed. She was appointed president of Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha last year. There has been no looking back since.
“Pankutai is a very understanding person. Free from ego, she easily gets along with workers and wins their hearts. Her hard working nature is similar to Munde Saheb,” said family loyalist Keshav Upadhye.
Pankaja attributes her success to Munde. “Baba never gave us special treatment. He made me work for 16 hours a day like an ordinary worker. At least 4,000 people used to meet me every day to condole his death. I am indebted to the people,” she said.
She has also learnt political management and diplomacy. She single-handedly managed Munde’s campaign in Beed in the last Lok Sabha election. Ask her if she wants to become the CM and she replies, “My only goal is to fulfil Baba’s dreams.”
The shy Pritam is a contrast to outspoken Pankaja. She likes to stay out of the limelight. When Pankaja refused to see Dhananjay, it was Pritam who accepted his condolences and cried with him outside BJP Mumbai office where Munde’s body was kept.
Pritam is the most educated person in the family. A dermatologist, she completed her medical education from Navi Mumbai’s D Y Patil Institute. “Pritam is a kind person. She never shows off her intelligence or her strength in being associated with a powerful political family,” said BJP worker Sujit Shilimkar.
Her marriage to Gaurav Khade, a Nashik-based IT professional in 2009 was a high profile affair.
A mother of one, Pritam was away from public life till two years ago. Her interaction with the public began in 2012 when Munde made her director of a medical college in Solapur. The BJP wants Pritam to contest the Lok Sabha bypoll in Beed. However, the party has left the decision to her.