Eknath Khadse set to return to BJP

Over the past few days, Khadse has reportedly held a couple of meetings with the central leadership of the BJP. After these meetings, the candidature of his daughter-in-law and sitting BJP MP was announced as the party candidate from Raver two weeks ago

Mumbai: Former state minister and senior Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Eknath Khadse is set to return to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the next few days after resigning as a legislative council member representing NCP. Khadse’s daughter Rohini Khadse-Khewalkar, the women wing chief of NCP (SP), is expected to be the BJP’s assembly candidate from Muktainagar during the Assembly polls later this year.

Eknath Khadse (Anshuman Poyrekar/HT Photo)

Over the past few days, Khadse has reportedly held a couple of meetings with the central leadership of the BJP. After these meetings, the candidature of his daughter-in-law and sitting BJP MP was announced as the party candidate from Raver two weeks ago.

People close to Khadse said that he is on the verge of joining BJP soon. “Almost all the cases pending against him have either been withdrawn or have become infructuous,” a leader close to him said. “The only case which remains on record is the MIDC land scam case, but it too has become infructuous because of the time-lapse. The leader is negotiating with his original party is the assurance of an Assembly ticket to his daughter Rohini Khadse and his political rehabilitation.”

Khadse will resign from the NCP and give up his membership in the legislative council before officially joining the BJP. “His term in the council ends in July 2028, but he will give it up on ethical grounds before joining the BJP. He is expected to speak to the NCP leadership in a day or two. The decision to return to the BJP will benefit the entire family as he could openly campaign for his daughter-in-law Raksha, who is the BJP candidate from Raver,” the leader said.

He also added that when the uncertainty over Raksha’s candidature was looming large owing to the family being in two different parties, Khadse had promised BJP to return to the fold soon.

Khadse has not completely refused the possibility of him joining back the BJP. “I had been to Delhi in relation to some court-related case. Such decisions are not taken in a huddle, without speaking to the workers and leaders from the constituency,” he said on Wednesday.

Khadse was revenue minister in the Devendra Fadnavis-led BJP government in Maharashtra, however, he had to resign in June 2016 following cases of land-related matters with alleged interest of his family surfaced. For some time, he trained the guns on the party, especially Fadnavis. He quit the party in October 2020 after being sidelined and immediately joined the undivided NCP. He was elected to the legislative council in July 2022. Raksha, however, remained in BJP leading to the uncertainty over her renomination to the seats.