Gopinath Munde is a two-term MP from the Beed district in Maharashtra’s Marathwada region.
He has also served as Deputy Leader of the BJP in the Lok Sabha.
A five-time MLA, Mr. Munde was Deputy Chief Minister in the Shiv Sena-BJP government in Maharashtra from 1995 to 2000. A former Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra, Mr. Munde is the OBC face of BJP in the State and the brother-in-law of the late BJP leader Pramod Mahajan.
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Mr. Munde got involved in politics during his student days and was part of the ABVP and Jan Sangh. He later went on to head the Maharashtra BJP. Mr. Munde controls several sugar factories in the Marathwada region.
Mr Munde, who was the Deputy Leader of Opposition in 15th Lok Sabha, won this time despite NCP chief Sharad Pawar making the Beed seat a prestige issue.
Mr Munde hails from a poor family in the backward Marathwada region and was brought into politics by the late BJP leader Vasantrao Bhagwat, who also groomed several other youngsters including Pramod Mahajan.
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