Dhananjay ‘happy and pained’ over win against Pankaja

PTI, Oct 24, 2019, 4:37 PM IST

Mumbai: NCP leader Dhananjay Munde on Thursday said he was both “joyous and pained”, as he took an unassailable lead over his cousin and Maharashtra BJP minister Pankaja Munde in Parli Assembly seat, which saw the two engage in recrimination in a high-voltage contest.

He also thanked the people for his “unprecedented victory”.

On the other hand, Pankaja Munde dubbed her defeat was “unexpected and inscrutable”, but said she accepted the people’s mandate humbly.

According to the trends made available by Election Commission so far, the NCP leader secured 1.22 lakh votes as against 91,413 votes bagged by his BJP opponent.

“The people of Parli have given me an unprecedented victory. I thank them. Heavenly Anna (referring to his father) wanted to see me winning. How do I tell him that his son has won and that too in Parli?” an emotionally-charged Dhananjay Munde said.

The Leader of Opposition in the state Legislative Council said he contested the election on the issue of development, but, without naming anyone one, he added that “dirty politics” was played by the ruling party.

He also observed that people of Parli backed him despite Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP chief Amit Shah and Chhatrapati Shivaji’s descendant Udayanraje Bhosale campaigning against him.

“I am happy. But I am also sad somewhere, being the elder in the family. Whether they consider me as part of the family or not, the blood relation never breaks. I am pained that someone in the family has been defeated,” he said.

The NCP leader also said he will fulfil all the development-related promises made to people in the next five years.

Meanwhile, reacting to her defeat, Pankaja Munde said, “I accept the mandate humbly. This is an inscrutable result. I did not expect the result, given the developmental works carried out during the past five years and the response I received from people.”

The BJP leader, who was a minister in the first Devendra Fadnavis government, said she will analyse reasons behind her defeat.

“Those for whom I campaigned are on the way to victory, but, maybe I was not able to win my seat,” she added.