Gopinath Pandurang Munde (12 December 1949 – 3 June 2014) was an Indian politician from Maharashtra. He was a senior leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). He was a Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA) for five terms during 1980-1985 and 1990-2009. He was also the Leader of Opposition in Maharashtra Legislative Assembly during 1992-1995. He has held the post of Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra in 1995-1999. Munde was elected to Lok Sabha in 2009 and 2014, and served as the Deputy Leader of the BJP in the Lok Sabha. He was appointed as the Union Minister for Rural Development and Panchayati Raj in Narendra Modi's cabinet.

Munde was born in Parali, Maharashtra, on 12 December 1948, to Pandurang Munde and Limbabai Munde in a middle class Vanjari (caste) farmer's family.

Munde's wife Pradnya is a sister of late Pramod Mahajan, a senior BJP leader. His family included his eldest sibling, sister, Saraswati Karad, elder brother Pandit Anna, who is actively involved in social and political work. He was the third child in the family. He has two younger brothers, Manikrao and Venkatrao.

Munde had three daughters — Pankaja, Pritam and Yashashri. Pankaja is an MLA. Pritam is a doctor, and Yashashri is studying law.

Education
Munde attended a government primary school, in Nathra village, Beed district where classes were conducted "under a tree". He later attended the Zilla Parishad high school in Parali. He obtained a BA in commerce from college in Ambejogai.[2] Subsequently, he studied at the ILS College in Pune.

Political career
Munde got involved into Politics when he met Pramod Mahajan, a friend and colleague in the college.[citation needed] As a member of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad, he took part in the agitation against the state of emergency imposed by the Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. He was incarcerated in the Nashik central jail until the Emergency was lifted.

In 1971, he associated with the campaign of the Bharatiya Jana Sangh candidate in the Lok Sabha election in the Beed constituency.[citation needed] He attended the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh's Shiksha Varga (Training Camp) held in Pune that year. He soon became the Sambhajinagar Mandal Karyavah, looking after half a dozen shakhas of the RSS, and subsequently, the in-charge of its Pune City Students' Cell. Later, he was made a member of the executive committee of the city RSS.[citation needed] The Janata Party by this time had split, and the Bharatiya Janata Party, founded by the leaders the erstwhile Bharatiya Jana Sangh had come into existence. Munde was made President of the Maharashtra unit of the BJP's youth wing, the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha.

Recently there was a controversy about his education.

Vidhan Sabha
He was Leader of Opposition in Maharashtra Vidhan Sabha from 12 December 1991 to 14 March 1995.[citation needed] Munde was sworn in as the Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra when Manohar Joshi-led government took over the reins of the state on 14 March 1995.

Lok Sabha
Munde served as a member of the 15th Lok Sabha (2009–2014), representing the Beed constituency.

Munde won 2014 Loksabha election from Beed Constituency by margin of 1.4 lacs. He defeated NCP's Suresh Dhas.Subsequently, he was appointed as Minister of Rural Development by Prime minister Narendra Modi.

Death
Munde was involved in a road accident at 6:30 AM on June 3, 2014, while on his way to the Delhi airport. The accident took place at Aurobindo Marg in South Delhi. He was brought to Safdarjung Hospital by his personal assistant and driver, 10 minutes after the accident. After receiving CPR, he was declared dead at 7:20 AM. Reports state the driver that hit Munde's car has been taken into custody.