The Indian Express (Delhi Edition)
Maharashtra horizon cloudy, BJP set to bring back senior leader who left blaming Devendra Fadnavis
At present with Sharad Pawar , Eknath Khadse holds clout in North Maharashtra, a bastion where BJP is facing problems
EKNATH KHADSE, a senior leader of the NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar), is all set to return to his parent party BJP ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, as the BJP struggles to tackle in-house challenges in its stronghold of North Maharashtra.
After 40 years in the Sangh Parivar — he started with the Jan Sangh and was among the founder leaders of the BJP — Khadse had quit the party in October 2020 and joined the then united NCP. He is currently an MLC of the NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar).
Asked about whether he was moving back to the BJP, Khadse was non-committal. “I will decide after consulting everybody. There are some aspects which need to be considered.”
This was apparently a hint at the fact that the state BJP leadership, particularly Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, is unlikely to be amenable to Khadse's return. Highly placed sources in the BJP said it was the central leadership that reached out to Khadse, and was keen that the switch happens before the Lok Sabha polls, where the party is facing a tough challenge.
Khadse had blamed Fadnavis and Cabinet minister Girish Mahajan at the time he left the BJP, accusing the two of trying to sabotage his stature in North Maharashtra. A source said that this, however, won't come in the way of Khadse's return now. “When it comes to organisation and polls, everybody will be made to set aside past grievances and work together.”
A highly respected leader of North Maharashtra, Khadse is a Leva Patil, who are OBCS – the group the BJP is trying to placate following its decision to extend reservation to Marathas.
Sourcessaidthebjpleadership hopes Khadse's return will help the party quell discontent in key constituencies such as Jalgaon (his home base) and Raver in North Maharashtra, which accounts for six Lok Sabha seats and 36 Assembly constituencies, and is seen as a BJP bastion.
On Wednesday, BJP sitting MP Unmesh Patil left to join the Shiv Sena (UBT), upset over being denied a ticket from Jalgaon. The BJP has fielded its former state women president and MLC
Smita Wagh from here. In Raver, the BJP'S decision to repeat twotime sitting MP Raksha Khadse – Khadse's daughter-in-law – has also caused some fissures. The BJP hopes these problems can be resolved if Khadse weighs in.
The bitterness between Fadnavis and Khadse goes back to the 2014 Assembly elections.
After the BJP-SHIV Sena coalition won, Khadse hoped to become the CM, being among the BJP'S seniormost leaders. However, the central leadership picked Fadnavis. Khadse was soothed with important portfolios such as Revenue and Agriculture, and considered the No 2 in the Fadnavis government.
However, within a couple of years, Khadse faced corruption charges over a land deal in Pune. As the Anti-corruption Bureau initiated a probe on the orders of the Bombay High Court, Khadse resigned as minister in 2016. He denied the charges, alleging he was framed by own party rivals.
The party leadership assured Khadse that he would be reinstated once the investigation was over and he emerged clean, but he kept waiting for that to happen. Khadse was also suspicious about the growing influence of minister Girish Mahajan, who was seen as a close associate of Fadnavis.
Khadse continued to openly talkaboutfadnavis“demolishing” hiscareerby“framingmeinafalse case”, with the then CM denying anyhand. Topbjpleaderssaidthis “outspokenness” – which gave foddertotheopposition–madeit difficult for the party to rehabilitate Khadse.