Dhananjay Munde
Dhananjay Panditrao Munde aka "Dhanu Bhau" (born 15 July 1975)[1] is an Indian politician. He is currently a member of the Nationalist Congress Party. He is considered a close aide of the Maharashtra Deputy CM Ajit Pawar. Before Dhananjay Munde was in Bharatiya Janata Party as President Youth Wing (BJYM) and He was a cabinet minister in Devendra Fadnavis government before 2025.[2][3]
Early life
Dhananjay Munde was born on 15 July 1975 in Nathra, Parli Vaijnath, Beed in a Vanjari family to parents Pandit Rao Munde and Rukmini Munde. Munde's family consists of his wife Rajashri Munde and daughter Adishri Munde.[4]
He is related to Central Cabinet Minister and Former dy.CM of Maharashtra 'Gopinath Rao Munde' whose daughters Pankaja Munde, Pritam Munde and their younger sister Yashashari are his first cousins.
Political career
Munde won the 2019, 2024 assembly elections from Parli constituency.[5] He is the Guardian Minister of Beed District and the Minister of Social Justice and Special Assistance of the State of Maharashtra.[6][7] On 24 December 2019,[8][9] as the Minister for Social Justice and Special Assistance.[10] Earlier, he had held the role of opposition leader in the Legislative Council of Maharashtra.[11]
Munde is a candidate who has set history by winning Parli Legislative Assembly elections by a landslide. In 2024 he won the election with around 76% votes from his assembly; with more than 1,40,000 votes than the trailing candidate Rajesaheb Deshmukh.[12]
Personal life
Dhananjay Munde is married to Rajashri Munde.[13]
Controversy
In January 2021, singer Renu Sharma faked rape allegations to blackmail Munde,[14] which were subsequently withdrawn.[15][16] In a press release, Munde claimed that he has been in a relationship with Renu Sharma's sister, Karuna Sharma and even had two children out of that relationship which was known to his wife and family.[17][18]
In early 2025, Dhananjay Munde faced significant political scrutiny following the arrest of his close associate, Walmik Anna Karad (Beed Mafia Crime Boss),[19] in connection with the murder of Santosh Deshmukh, a sarpanch from Beed district. Deshmukh was allegedly abducted, tortured, and killed in December 2024 for opposing an extortion attempt. The escalating controversy led to widespread demands for Munde's resignation from his ministerial position. On March 4, 2025, Munde resigned from the Maharashtra cabinet, stepping down as the Minister for Food and Civil Supplies.[20][21]
Anti-corruption activist Anjali Damania demanded immediate resignation of Maharashtra Food and Civil Supplies Minister Dhananjay Munde of the Ajit Pawar-led NCP on in Beed district, claiming that Munde holds “a position of financial gain”. Mahagenco is a company wholly owned by the Maharashtra State Electricity Board (MSEB). “Munde was granted pre-arrest bail last Friday after we argued that he was not absconding and custodial interrogation was not necessary in the case,” his lawyer Aniket Nikam said.[22]
See also
References
- ^ "Dhananjay Panditrao Munde". indialeader.com.
- ^ रापतवार, सुदर्शन (15 November 2024). सहज सुचलं म्हणून..! (in Marathi). Madhyam Publication's. ISBN 978-81-902787-8-2.
- ^ CNBCTV18 (23 November 2024). "Maharashtra Elections 2024: 14 candidates win by over 1 lakh votes, all from Mahayuti". Archived from the original on 4 December 2024. Retrieved 4 December 2024.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ "Cousins collide". The Week. Retrieved 16 January 2021.
- ^ Hindustantimes (23 November 2024). "Maharashtra election results: These candidates have won by biggest margins so far". Archived from the original on 24 November 2024. Retrieved 24 November 2024.
- ^ author/lokmat-news-network (30 October 2020). "बीड जिल्ह्यातील चार तालुक्यांमध्ये नुकसानीचे होणार फेर पंचनामे; पालकमंत्री मुंडे यांचे आदेश". Lokmat (in Marathi). Retrieved 16 January 2021.
{{cite web}}:|last=has generic name (help) - ^ "समाजकार्य महाविद्यालयांच्या वेतनासाठी १०३ कोटींचे अनुदान". Loksatta (in Marathi). 9 January 2021. Retrieved 16 January 2021.
- ^ "Pankaja Munde trailing behind NCP's Dhananjay Munde by 30,701 votes from Parli constituency". Business Insider. Retrieved 1 October 2020.
- ^ "Pankaja Munde loses Maharashtra's Parli seat to cousin Dhananjay Munde". Inshorts - Stay Informed. Retrieved 1 October 2020.
- ^ "Maharashtra Government, Council of Ministers". Sarkaritel.com. Retrieved 1 October 2020.
- ^ "Munde Dhananjay Panditrao - Affidavit Information of Candidate". myneta.info. Retrieved 1 October 2020.
- ^ "Parli Election Commission Results 2024".
- ^ Bhadani, Priyanka (19 October 2019). "Cousins collide". The Week. Archived from the original on 20 October 2019.
- ^ Vidya (30 May 2022). "Renu Sharma, 'blackmailer' of Maha minister Dhananjay Munde, seeks bail from Mumbai court". India Today. Retrieved 16 October 2025.
- ^ Sutar, Kamlesh Damodar (12 January 2021). "Singer alleges rape, Maha Minister Dhananjay Munde refutes, calls it blackmail". India Today.
- ^ Jog, Sanjay (15 January 2021). "Singer Renu Sharma backs off on rape charges against Maha minister Dhananjay Munde". Free Press Journal. Retrieved 5 March 2021.
- ^ "Dhananjay Munde denies rape charge, says he is in relationship with complainant's sister". The Hindu. 13 January 2021. Retrieved 5 March 2021.
- ^ "Sharad Pawar says stand vindicated as rape complaint against Dhananjay Munde withdrawn". The New Indian Express. 23 January 2021. Retrieved 5 March 2021.
- ^ "Who is Walmik Karad? Dhananjay Munde's aide mastermind of Beed sarpanch murder case". Deccan Herald. Retrieved 16 October 2025.
- ^ "Maharashtra Minister Dhananjay Munde Resigns After Close Aide Arrested Over Murder Of Sarpanch". NDTV.com. 4 March 2025. Retrieved 8 June 2025.
- ^ "Who is Dhananjay Munde? A look at NCP leader amid growing controversy". The Times of India. 4 March 2025. Retrieved 8 June 2025.
- ^ "NCP leader gets pre-arrest bail in loan scam case". The Indian Express. 16 August 2016. Retrieved 26 November 2025.