Former Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Gopinath Rao Munde, a senior BJP leader from the State took oath as a Cabinet Minister on May 26, 2014.

The OBC face of BJP in the State, this is his first time as cabinet minister. He won from Beed district with a margin of 1.3 lakh votes against the Nationalist Congress Party candidate Suresh Dhas.

After the win, he had promised to bring railways to the region to improve access and pave the path for commercial activities. Munde is also likely to play a key role in the upcoming Assembly elections in Maharashtra in October.

He was general secretary of the party at the national level and as Chairman of the Committee on Chemicals and Fertilisers in the outgoing Lok Sabha.

A five-time member of the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly, Munde was born on December 12, 1949. Munde was also the leader of the opposition in Maharashtra Legislative Assembly from December 1991 to March 1995.

Munde is married to college friend and slain BJP Leader Pramod Mahajan’s sister, with whom he has three daughters and the eldest one, Pankaja Palave, is an MLA from Parli seat.

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