BJP youth wing leader Poonam Mahajan has revealed to Mumbai Mirror why she skipped her brother Rahul’s widely watched TV wedding on a reality show.  

Rahul tied the knot for the second time with a 21-year-old Bengali model Dimpy Ganguly  in a televised event on Saturday which was attended by his mother, but not his sister Poonam Mahajan-Rao,who had always stood by her elder brother during the darkest phases of his life - the drug scandal for instance was missing from the scene.

This sent the media and commentators in a tizzy, the report says, as Rahul and his spokespersons found themselves struggling to deal with speculations that Poonam wanted to stay away from the reality drama.   

Poonam told Mirror :  “I am a very private person, and for me, an event like a marriage is a private affair”.  

When asked why she didn’t join in the much-watched ceremony, Poonam said: “I am the kind of person who prefers to sit at home rather than make a show out of things. I even keep my son’s birthday party as private as possible. That’s how I am.”  

Incidentally,Poonam was very much around when Rahul married his childhood sweetheart Shweta in a private ceremony in 2006.They divorced two years later.

Speaking about her own wedding which was a low-key affair, Poonam said, “Ten years ago, I made a choice of getting married to the person I wanted to. Now, Rahul has made his choice and being his sister support him entirely.”

When asked if there are any differences within the Mahajan family over Rahul’s choice and decision, Poonam said : “Rahul is my elder brother and his decisions are totally his. I will be there for him just like I have always been there for him, even during the tough times. I wish him all the luck with this marriage. Together, we want to take forward our fathers legacy by helping each other.”

Rahul’s  uncle Gopinath Munde, BJP national general secretary and MP, was also missing from the TV wedding.  .Munde has been constantly by the side of late BJP leader Pramod Mahajan’s family since he was shot dead three years ago by younger brother Pravin.

BJP sources said Munde along with national president Nitin Gadkari and leader of state legislature Eknath Khadse were in Nashik for their felicitation. The felicitation programme was finalised severalmonths ago and Munde had accepted the invitation. In fact he made it a point to attend the Nashik event as his absence at previous felicitation event in Aurangabad was being blamed on intra party tussle with Gadkari, a party leader remarked.

But speculations over Poonam’s absence refuse to die down. Poonam may have deliberately avoided not to attend the much publicised wedding show for political reasons. She is keen to establish herself politically and does not want to get embroiled in any controversy, the source said.