Who is Dhananjay Munde, the Maharashtra minister sacked over sarpanch murder row?

Munde, who is one of the few NCP leaders from the Other Backward Classes (OBCs), had become a burden for the Mahayuti alliance, especially the BJP, as the focus on him had added to the simmering tension between the Marathas and the Other Backward Classes (OBCs) in the state. With this resignation, the BJP will hope that some of that pressure will ease. But as the situation unfolds, a big question is how the resignation will affect the fragile alliances within Maharashtra’s ruling coalition.

The 49-year-old Dhananjay 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, Munde’s rise in Maharashtra politics was turbulent. Initially mentored by his uncle and BJP leader Gopinath Munde, Dhananjay entered politics as a party worker and was later appointed the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) president in 2007. A skilled orator, Dhananjay gained the trust of his uncle, managing the family’s political interests in Beed and overseeing Gopinath’s Assembly constituency in Parli. For many, Dhananjay appeared to be the BJP leader’s “political heir”.

However, the dynamic shifted in 2009 when Gopinath chose his daughter Pankaja to represent Parli in the Assembly. While the BJP attempted to placate Dhananjay by appointing him to the state Legislative Council in 2010, their relationship gradually soured.

The situation worsened when Dhananjay insisted on appointing one of his supporters as the president of the Parli Municipal Council, which Gopinath opposed amid accusations that he was becoming insecure about Dhananjay’s growing influence in Beed.

With the BJP siding with Gopinath, Dhananjay switched to the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) in 2012, following his father Panditrao Munde who did the same earlier that year. In 2013, he officially resigned from the BJP and as an MLC and contested the 2014 Assembly polls from Parli against Pankaja on an NCP ticket. But he lost to her by more than 25,000 votes. Five years later, the tables turned and Dhananjay won by more than 30,000 votes.

Close to Ajit Pawar

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.

Dhananjay is one of the few OBC leaders in the NCP after Chaggan Bhujbal. His allegiance mainly lies with Ajit who brought him over to the NCP. This relationship proved crucial in his elevation as the Leader of Opposition in the state Legislative Council in December 2014, shortly after his loss in the 2014 polls.

Ajit is known to have played a key role in Dhananjay’s rise despite facing considerable opposition within the party. His insistence on getting Dhananjay on board was part of a broader strategy to build up a new team of non-Maratha leaders to offset the perception of the NCP being a Maratha-centric party.

In November 2019, Dhananjay’s old equations with the BJP propelled him into a significant role during the state political crisis, when Ajit made a bid to form the government along with the BJP. This alliance with the BJP, however, lasted just for three days. Though the experiment failed, which led to the formation of the Uddhav Thackeray-led Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government, Dhananjay’s closeness to Ajit ensured his inclusion as a minister in the Uddhav government.

Dhananjay has always remained staunchly loyal to Ajit, even publicly criticising NCP founder Sharad Pawar when the latter rebelled against his uncle to split the party, alleging, “Since 1978, his (Sharad Pawar) political career has been one of betrayal and treachery.”

Controversial figure

However, Munde’s political career has never been free from controversies. In Beed, many local politicians grew increasingly disillusioned with Munde, especially as he consolidated his power in the region. BJP MLA Suresh Dhas who led the campaign against him in the sarpanch murder case is a former ally who fell out with Munde and was expelled from the NCP in 2017.

Most of the six BJP MLAs from Beed are against Dhananjay, publicly saying they did not want him as the district’s “guardian minister”. Sources said such vehement opposition stems from the perception that Dhananjay has “tried to turn Beed into his fiefdom” and favours the Vanjari community to which he belongs.

Dhananjay’s personal life has also not been free of controversies. In 2021, a woman, who was reportedly his second wife’s sister, accused him of rape, though she later withdrew the allegation. His second wife has levelled multiple charges against him over the years, even leading to her brief imprisonment. Despite these scandals taking a toll on him, Dhananjay’s political position remained secure.