BJP’s insiders actively defeated my Daughter Rohini Khadse and Pankaja Munde claims Eknath Khadse

The BJP had denied ticket to Khadse for the assembly polls held in October 2019 but fielded his daughter from his home town Muktainagar in Jalgaon district

Mumbai: On Wednesday senior BJP leader Eknath Khadse claimed some insiders of the saffron party played an active role in the poll defeat of his daughter Rohini and former minister Pankaja Munde.

The BJP had denied ticket to Khadse before assembly polls held, in October 2019 but later fielded his daughter from his home town Muktainagar in Jalgaon district. However, Rohini Khadse lost to ShivSena rebel Chandrakant Patil. Munde was defeated by her cousin and NCP rival Dhananjay Munde of the NCP from Parli in Beed district.

Former Minister in Fadnavis Cabinet Pankaja Munde said she will spell her future plans on December 12, on the other hand, senior BJP leader Eknath Khadse has blamed insiders for the defeat of Pankaja and his daughter, Rohini Khadse-Khewalkar. In the October 21 state Assembly elections, Pankaja Munde lost to her cousin and NCP rival Dhananjay Munde in a bitter contest from Parli seat in Beed district. Pankaja lost to Dhananjay by a margin of approximately 30,000 votes.

Khadse said “I and Pankaja are of the opinion that some BJP leaders tried to defeat her and Rohini. I have informed state BJP unit chief Chandrakant Patil about it,”. Khadse, known as a rival of the former chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, was forced to resign as revenue minister of the BJP government in 2016 overland grab allegations.

Khadse said, “If leaders like Chandrashekhar Bavankule, Vinod Tawde, Prakash Mehta and I were not kept out of the poll and had been involved actively, the results would have been better than the current tally of the BJP,”.

“Like in victory, the responsibility should be shared in defeat also,” Khadse said, that those responsible for the BJP’s below-par performance should be held accountable and face action.

Without taking any name (Fadnavis), Khadse said, “I am talking about the person who has taken decisions before the October 21 polls that resulted in the BJP lost more seats”.

Khadse also questioned the BJP’s decision to not accept Sena’s demand for a rotational chief ministership, which resulted in the Uddhav Thackeray-led party joining hands with the NCP and the Congress to form a coalition government.

“Had the party taken a couple of steps back and held proper discussions with the Sena the saffron alliance would have retained the power in state because the mandate was for the BJP-Sena to rule,” he added.

After the poll results were announced on October 24, Fadnavis had demanded Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray’s claim that the BJP leadership had “agreed” for rotational chief ministership.

Khadse also hit out at former minister Girish Mahajan, who also belongs to Jalgaon district. Mahajan was given the responsibility for campaigning in North Maharashtra where the BJP suffered a drubbing.

“The people appointed by BJP in my area should be held responsible for the BJP loss. These people have taken decisions and they should be held some accountability,” Khadse added.

The senior BJP leader also hinted at the leaders in sulk like him joining hands

Khadse had served as leader of the opposition after the BJP won more seats than the Sena in the 2009 assembly polls. He was also instrumental in the spread of the BJP in the North Maharashtra region.

After the BJP won the maximum number of seats in 2014 elections, the prominent OBC leader was tipped to be the next chief minister, but the party picked Devendra Fadnavis.

Khadse claimed When asked whether OBC leaders are feeling ignored by the BJP, he said, “Unfortunately, such speculation seems to be true in it. Many OBC and top leaders lost in the October polls. If the Better plan would have made it would have helped the BJP win more than 105 seats which it won in October polls,”.