My performance due to power of Munde family coming together, says Dhananjay; hails cousin Pankaja

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar: NCP leader Dhananjay Munde on Saturday said his performance from Parli assembly seat was the "power" of the Munde family coming together.

The agriculture minister in the outgoing cabinet under Shinde was leading by 88,659 votes over NCP (SP) candidate Rajesaheb Deshmukh in Parli as per data made available on the EC website at 2:30pm.

The area was the stronghold of BJP stalwart late Gopinath Munde before Dhananjay Munde walked out and joined the undivided NCP. He defeated Gopinath Munde's daughter Pankaja Munde in the 2019 assembly polls.

However, with Dhananjay Munde opting to side with Ajit Pawar when the latter joined the Eknath Shinde government in July last year, the Munde household united under the Mahayuti banner, which comprises the NCP, the BJP as well as Shiv Sena.

"My win is the power of the Munde family coming together. Pankaja Munde took great efforts to get votes for me. I got such a huge lead as all communities have come together," he told reporters.

"The opposition tried to conspire against me and also divide people on the basis of caste. Even a national leader (referring to Sharad Pawar) addressed a rally here (seeking his defeat). The opposition took every effort to polarise people but it did not work," Dhananjay Munde said.