"If my father is required in the state, I will vacate the seat for him without any hesitation."
Praniti Shinde and Pankaja Munde Palve are the most ideal heirs their dads could have asked for. Praniti, the youngest daughter of Union power minister Sushilkumar Shinde, is contesting from Solapur Central on a Congress ticket, while Pankaja, the eldest daughter of BJP general secretary Gopinath Munde, is a candidate from the Beed constituency.
And both are willing to sacrifice their nascent political careers for papa dears, should they chose to return to state politics.
Which, ironically, is perhaps why they are contesting in the first place. Shinde, who is a Lok Sabha MP, is among the three contenders for the chief minister's post if the Congress and the NCP return to power. However, if the Shiv Sena-BJP manage to defeat the ruling combine, Munde will be forced to take a prime slot in the state cabinet. Infact, it was with this option in mind that Munde decided to field Pankaja instead of his nephew Dhananjay.
Pankaja admits, "If my father is required in the state, I will vacate the seat for him without any hesitation. His service to the state is important." At the same time, the daughter who has mastered the art of public speaking, which is based to a large extent on her father's style, said, "I am contesting these polls on my merit. I don't want to reel in my father's shadow."
Shinde, who has already led the state as the chief minister, asserts, "I am happy at the Centre." The seasoned politician does not want to take the elections for granted. Shinde's realises, "It is a tough battle as the opposition candidate Narasaiah Adam is a senior CPI(M) MLA from the constituency." Praniti says, "I am looking forward to the big battle. It is a challenge."
Not surprising then that she goes through the daily grind, between 7 am and 2 pm, to ensure she is not found lacking in her campaign. On probing how she would take the return of her father to the state, "What a question to ask? Of course I will leave the seat if he wants to contest."
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