"Expecting Opportunity Not In My Nature": Maharashtra BJP's Pankaja Munde

BJP leader and former Maharashtra minister Pankaja Munde on Friday said she believes in making the best of the available opportunities.

She said this in response to a question about whether she would get an opportunity to become a member of the Maharashtra Legislative Council or the Rajya Sabha.

Ms Munde was in Parli, her home turf in Beed district of the state to pay tributes to her late father and BJP leader Gopinath Munde on his death anniversary.

"People's wish is my strength. We will shortly come to know what the party decides. Expecting any opportunity is not my nature and I don't try for it. But making the best of the available opportunities is my nature," she said.

The BJP has fielded Union minister Piyush Goyal, former MP from Kolhapur Dhananjay Mahadik and Anil Bonde for the Rajya Sabha elections to be held on June 10.

Ms Munde further said, "People come to Gopinathgad (the memorial of Gopinath Munde) to express their love towards my father and not for my speech."

Welcoming AIMIM MP Imtiaz Jaleel's demand to name a medical facility in Aurangabad after Gopinath Munde, she said, "He had sought it earlier in Maharashtra Assembly also. I didn't seek any help for the memorial of Gopinath Munde and raised it on my own. But if a hospital is named after Gopinath Munde, it will be an honour for me."

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan is scheduled to visit Parli to pay tributes to Gopinath Munde, where he would also address a rally.

Talking about Mr Chouhan, Ms Munde said, "A leader who gave security to OBCs is coming to the memorial of a leader who dedicated his entire life for this community. I am positive that the OBC reservation issue in Maharashtra will be resolved soon. If any help is needed from Madhya Pradesh, it can be done at the government-to-government level."

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)