Daijiworld Media Network

Mumbai, Oct 24 : In what is considered to be a moral set-back to Maharashtra’s ruling BJP-Sena alliance, six ministers who are serving under chief minister Fadnavis have lost the assembly elections.

Noted among them is Pankaja Munde, Maharashtra minister and daughter of BJP leader late Gopinath Munde, who lost in her home turf of Parli constituency in Beed district to her cousin and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Dhananjay Munde by over 20,000 votes.

Pankaja Munde

Munde, who was serving as the rural development and women and child development minister in the Devendra Fadnavis government was seen as BJP’s Other Backward Class face and heir to her father’s political legacy. Accepting her defeat, Munde said, “I accept my defeat and the decision of the mandate. The elections in my constituency were, however, fought maliciously. I am satisfied that I managed to win most seats in my district of Beed,” said Munde.

Dhananjay Munde

Just days ahead of the polls, a video clip of Dhananjay allegedly speaking deprecatingly about his cousin had gone viral after which he had said that the clip was doctored.

In 2014 elections, Munde had faced off with Dhananjay after her father’s death in June and won with a margin of over 20,000 votes.