Pankaja Munde 

Politician

Pankaja Munde-Palwe is an Indian politician belonging to the Bharatiya Janata Party. She is current Minister of Rural Development, Women and Child Welfare as well as Maharashtra State Guardian Minister for Latur district and Beed district in Government of Maharashtra. Pankaja was born to Central Cabinet Minister Late Gopinath Munde and Pradnya Munde. She has two younger siblings, Pritam Munde and Yashashari. She completed her graduation and also holds an MBA. She is a niece of late Pramod Mahajan, and a cousin to Rahul Mahajan and Poonam Mahajan. NCP leader Dhananjay Munde leader is also her cousin. Her father, Gopinath Munde, died of road accident at New Delhi on 3 June 2014. Pankaja Munde served as the State President of BJP's youth wing, the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM), in 2012. She was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Maharashtra from Parli constituency in 2009. She took oath as Maharashtra Cabinet Minister on 31 October 2014. She was allotted Ministry of Rural Development, Women & Child welfare and Water Conservation. Pankaja married to Amit Palwe. The couple has one son name as Aryaman. She has authored a photo biography of her father, titled Lokneta Gopinath Munde.