Munde’s nomination to the Legislative Council is being seen as an attempt by the party to rehabilitate her after her defeat in the Lok Sabha election in Beed, where Munde lost to Bajrang Sonawane of the NCP (SP) in a closely fought contest.

After Munde’s defeat in the family bastion, a couple of her supporters died by suicide. A video of her breaking down while meeting the family members of one of her supporters who ended their lives went viral.

Gorkhe, who is the former head of the Annabhau Sathe Mahamandal, is a leader of the Matang community and known for his proximity to Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. Gorkhe runs a clutch of educational institutes in Pimpri-Chinchwad.

When contacted, Gorkhe said, “I am delighted that the party has picked me to be an MLC. I will do my best as an MLC to raise people’s issues in the House.”

Gorkhe said that since there are only five vacant seats and five candidates have been nominated, the nominees will be elected unopposed. “We have the required numbers on our side. If we had fielded a sixth candidate, there would have been the possibility of a contest. Now since there are five candidates, it will be unopposed election,” he said.

Gorkhe is the second BJP leader from Pimpri-Chinchwad to become an MLC, the first being Uma Khapre.