X: @the_news_21
Confirming speculations that he would join the BJP just days ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, Eknath Khadse, who is currently with the Sharad Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (NCP-SP), said on Sunday he will join the party in the next fortnight.
“I have met party president J.P. Nadda and held discussions with him regarding my entry into the party,” Khadse told reporters in Jalgaon.
For the past few days, there have been speculations about Khadse’s return to the BJP, the party he had quit in 2016 after resigning as a Maharashtra minister following allegations of irregularities in the Bhosari MIDC land deal. In 2020, he had joined the undivided NCP after alleging that then Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis was trying to finish off his political career.
When asked about his rivalry with the current Deputy Chief Minister Fadnavis, Khadse said, “The bitterness in our relationship has come down, especially since I have been away from the party for a few years. We had ideological differences… Before leaving for Delhi to meet senior party leaders, I had called up Fadnavis and told him about it.”
Khadse denied that he had been pursuing the BJP to take him back, stating, “For the last six months, I have been in conversation with some senior leaders. They urged me to return to the party.”
He also dismissed speculation that he would rejoin the BJP when Prime Minister Narendra Modi holds his election rally in Chandrapur, saying, “No, my entry into BJP will take place in Delhi.”
Interestingly, Khadse’s daughter Rohini Khadse, who is the NCP (SP)’s State Women’s Wing president, said she would not leave the party led by Sharad Pawar.
Khadse had received a notice from the Maharashtra government in October 2023, directing him to pay over Rs 137 crore as a fine for allegedly excavating minor minerals without permission. However, he had appealed, and the state government stayed the order last month.
Reacting to Khadse’s decision, NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar) chief spokesperson Mahesh Tapase said, “It will not make any difference to our party. It is not a big loss. Our party’s tallest leader Sharad Pawar, who is our face as well.”
The Lok Sabha elections 2024 in Maharashtra will take place in five phases between April 19 and May 20, with votes being counted on June 4.
