How Dhananjay Munde, close aid of NCP’s Ajit Pawar, got entangled into sarpanch murder row? Who is he?

In a post on X, Munde also mentioned that he has submitted his resignation as state minister due to health concerns and medical advice “as well”.

“My firm demand from the very first day has been that the accused in the brutal murder of the late Santosh Deshmukh from Massajog in Beed district should receive the harshest possible punishment. Seeing the photos that came up yesterday has deeply pained my heart,” he said.

Santosh Deshmukh, the sarpanch of Massajog village in Beed district, Maharashtra, was murdered on December 9 after he allegedly opposed an extortion attempt targeting an energy firm installing windmills in the village. The alleged accused, who is said to be Munde’s aide Walmik Karad, was sent to judicial custody in January. It is to be noted that Munde is not directly involved in the case.

Who is Dhananjay Munde?

The 49-year-old Munde is a trusted lieutenant of Ajit Pawar and has been no stranger to controversies, both political and personal, in his two-decade-long political career. But this appears to be his most daunting challenge yet.

Born in Parli’s Nathra, Dhananjay Munde’s was initially mentored by BJP leader Gopinath Munde. Though he started as a party worker, he quickly rose to the position of BJYM president in 2007. A skilled orator, he managed Gopinath’s political interests in Beed and Parli, earning the image of his uncle’s “political heir.”

But, things changed after Gopinath chose his daughter Pankaja to contest from Parli in 2009. Meanwhile, in 2010, BJP appointed Dhananjay to the state Legislative Council 

As tension escalated, Dhananjay switched to the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) in 2012, following his father Panditrao Munde who did the same earlier that year. He contested the 2014 Assembly polls against Pankaja but lost by over 25,000 votes. In 2019, he turned the tables, defeating her by more than 30,000 votes.

In the wake of the NCP’s split in 2023, Dhananjay sided with the Ajit Pawar-led faction who aligned with the Mahayuti. In Assembly polls last year, he retained Parli by over 1.4 lakh votes. He is one of the few OBC leaders in the NCP after Chaggan Bhujbal.