Ahead of Maharashtra assembly polls, BJP leader Pankaja Munde on Saturday reached out to Dalits and Other Backward Classes (OBC), vowing to take cognisance if they are “troubled”.

Munde, who lost the Lok Sabha polls on her home turf Beed district, the epicentre of Maratha protests led by activist Manoj Jarange, was addressing her annual Dussehra rally at Sawargaon Ghat, the birthplace of Sant Bhagwanbaba, a saint of her Vanjari community.

State agriculture minister and her cousin Dhananjay Munde and Laxman Hake, who had protested opposing any potential dilution of the OBC reservation, were among those who spoke at the rally.

Munde expressed her concerns over the growing caste schism within society.

“If a vehicle hits someone, people ask the caste of the driver. People want to know the caste of a person who has committed brutality against a small child and killed her. We don’t want such a society,” she said.

The BJP national secretary warned that they would take cognisance if the poor, Dalits, OBCs and others are “troubled” in the state.

Munde said she inherited the legacy of her father and late BJP stalwart Gopinath Munde and thanked people for giving her respect despite her electoral setback.

“To reciprocate for the respect I received, I will tour the state. The poor are waiting for good days by keeping their faith in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership. Now, we must play our cards,” she said.

She also appealed to labourers from her area involved in the sugar industry not to leave for work before casting their votes. Sugarcane cutting season starts in October in Maharashtra.

Elections to the 288-member state assembly will likely be held in November. BJP is a partner in the ruling Mahayuti coalition, also comprising Ajit Pawar-led NCP and Shiv Sena headed by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.

“I never discriminated between the villages that voted for me and those that didn’t during fund allocation. A mistake happened this time (in Lok Sabha polls), but we want to overcome that failure,” said the former state minister.

Referring to the Lok Sabha polls in Beed, where she lost to Congress’ Bajrang Sonawane by about 6,500 votes, Munde said, “I’m not desperate for a post. Five persons lost their lives (by suicide) before I became an MLC. Even though I don’t hold any post, I will not abandon those who have supported me.” NCP leader Dhananjay Munde said Gopinath Munde and Pankaja Munde struggled for the people, not for themselves. “Today, people from all communities are here. The crowd here today shows that we are all united,” he said.

Without taking the name of Jarange, who incidentally held a Dussehra rally at Narayangad in Beed district, he appealed to people to stay united. “If we unite, no one can organise another such event in this area and undermine Pankaja Munde’s annual Dussehra rally. This is the time for struggle and we need to stand with each other,” he added.

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