In Pics: Pankaja Munde, the political heir of Gopinath Munde

New Delhi: Pankaja Munde is the daughter of Gopinath Minde, the deceased BJP leader and union minister, who died in a car crash on 3rd June, 2014. She is also the MLA from Parli, Maharashtra.Pankaja's mother, Pradnya, is the sister of late Pramod Mahajan who was a senior leader of BJP. Pankaja is married to Amit Palwe, a doctor who is an industrialist. The couple is blessed with a son, Aryaman . In the recently concluded Lok Sabha Elections, she led the campaign on behalf of her father against the Pawars and NCP in the Beed constituency of Maharashtra. It's almost certain now that the baton of Munde-Mahajan legacy will be passed onto Pankaja Munde, Gopinath Munde's eldest daughter and Poonam Mahajan, the daughter of Pramod Mahajan. Pankaja Munde has two sisters, Pratima is a doctor and Yashashri is practicing law. None of the other members of the family apart from Pankaja is into politics. So BJP may consider her the appropriate choice as their next leader despite her being a lightweight in politics. In 2009, Gopinath Munde selected Pankaja to contest the State Assembly elections from Parli – A seat that once belonged to him. Pankaja won that seat. She put in lot of effort as MLA and managed to win the hearts of people. Pankaja Munde made headlines in national media when Gopinath Munde expired in a tragic car accident. Pankaja lit her father's funeral pyre although this is not a usual sight under Indian culture . His funeral was attended by lakhs of people who witnessed a lady performing acts that were previously limited to men only. Intentionally or not, Pankaja Munde managed to project her image as one who not only believes but also stands for gender equality. Her act displayed strength and courage even at a time when she was going through enormous pain. As people had gathered around for his funeral, an aggrieved mob created chaos. Pankaja once again displayed courage and tried to pacify the uncontrollable crowd. She boldly controlled the crowd and they obeyed her. Pankaja Munde has certainly projected herself as a leader who can keep her head straight even under dire situations. She has inherited the qualities of an effective leader from her father. The BJP, in all probability, will use her talent to further the cause of the party in the state.