Everybody knows about my… strength, don’t have to show it: Pankaja Munde

Beginning her visit with the Renuka Devi temple — a shakti peeth — Pankaja said, “I have offered prayers, and sought blessings.” She was accompanied by Rashtriya Samaj Party (RSP) president Mahadeo Jankar during the visit.

“I do not need to show my strength. Every year, I get four opportunities to address my supporters. Everybody knows my support base and strength,” she told the media. “The pilgrimage is not meant for politics. But I am sure Goddess Renuka will show me the way ahead.”

Pankaja, who had taken a two-month sabbatical, on Tuesday announced her pilgrimage plan across Maharashtra districts.

With her estranged cousin and NCP minister Dhananjay Munde joining the BJP-led coalition, it is a foregone conclusion that Dhananjay would contest the Parli Assembly seat in the 2024 Assembly elections in the state. In 2019, Dhananjay — then a NCP candidate — had defeated Pankaja — a BJP candidate — in the Parli seat in the Assembly polls.