Eknath Khadse’s return to BJP stalls amid party resistance

Mumbai: Six months after announcing his return to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), senior Nationalist Congress Party (SP) leader Eknath Khadse finds himself in political limbo due to resistance from the BJP’s state leadership. Khadse, who celebrated his 72nd birthday on Monday, stated that he would wait a few more days before potentially returning to the Sharad Pawar-led party.
Prior to the Lok Sabha elections, Khadse met with BJP’s national president JP Nadda and reportedly rejoined the party he had left in October 2020. Khadse claimed he had officially joined in Nadda’s presence, with an official announcement expected in March. However, state leadership, particularly deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis and Khadse’s rival Girish Mahajan, opposed the move. Mahajan repeatedly spoke against Khadse’s ‘homecoming’ and opposed the candidature of Khadse’s daughter-in-law, Raksha Khadse, in the Lok Sabha polls.
Despite this opposition, Khadse secured a ticket for Raksha and helped her win, leveraging support from a section of the central leadership. She was subsequently appointed minister of state in the Modi government, despite resistance from the state unit. Nevertheless, the state leadership has not officially welcomed Khadse back into the party fold.
Adding to the political drama, posters in Muktainagar and Jalgaon celebrating Khadse’s birthday featured photographs of NCP-SP chief Sharad Pawar, party leader Rohini Khadse, and other party leaders, suggesting continued allegiance to Pawar.
Khadse expressed dissatisfaction with his treatment by the BJP, threatening to return to the NCP if the situation remains unresolved. “I had rejoined BJP in the presence of Naddaji; however, a few leaders from the state unit opposed it, hindering the official announcement. In such a situation, it would not be right to remain in BJP. I am still an MLC of NCP-SP. I will wait for a few more days and will go back to the original party if there is no response from the BJP,” he said on Monday.
BJP’s state unit chief Chandrashekhar Bawankule maintained that Khadse is ideologically aligned with the BJP and will support the party in the Assembly polls. “Khadsesaheb is a true believer in BJP’s ideology. He worked for BJP candidate Rakshatai Khadse in the Lok Sabha polls. He is known to keep his promises, and I am sure that he will work for the party in the ensuing elections,” he said.
Khadse’s relationship with the state leadership deteriorated amid feelings that he was deliberately sidelined, leading to his departure from the BJP in October 2020 and subsequent joining of the then-undivided NCP. He was elected to the legislative council in July 2022. Previously, in June 2016, he had resigned from the Fadnavis government following corruption allegations.
Party insiders suggest that Khadse’s attempt to rejoin the BJP was primarily to secure a ticket for his daughter-in-law Raksha, the sitting MP from Raver. His daughter Rohini Khadse, who serves as NCP-SP’s state women’s wing chief, is believed to be an aspirant for the Muktainagar Assembly constituency, which Khadse previously represented.