Eknath Khadse was the leader of opposition in Maharashtra Assembly before the BJP came to power in the state in 2014. He was also a prominent contender for the post of the chief minister, which was handed to Devendra Fadnavis.
Senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Eknath Khadse has decided to bid adieu to the saffron party to join Sharad Pawar’s Nationalist Congress Party this Friday, reports have claimed. Eknath Khadse was the leader of opposition in Maharashtra Assembly before the BJP came to power in the state in 2014. He was also a prominent contender for the post of the chief minister, which was handed to Devendra Fadnavis. However, Khadse held important portfolios in Fadnavis government, until he was asked to resign owing to corruption allegations. Since then, there was an evident rivalry between the Fadnavis section and Khadse section in Maharashtra BJP. It further deteriorated when Khadse was not offered a ticket in 2019 assembly election. His daughter Rohini Khadse was instead given a ticket to contest the election from Khadse’s constituency, which she lost.
There were speculations about Eknath Khadse leaving the BJP and joining Sharad Pawar’s NCP. The speculations were put to rest today when sources from the NCP confirmed that he’ll be joining their party on Friday this week.
The BJP spokesperson today confirmed that Eknath Khadse has resigned from the primary membership of the party. NCP leader Jayant Patil also confirmed that Khadse will be joining the NCP on Friday.
Jayant Patil said: “Eknath Khadse promoted BJP in Maharashtra over years. I’ve been informed that BJP Leader Eknath Khadse has resigned from his party.”
“We’ve decided to give him an entry in NCP. He will be formally inducted into NCP at 2 pm on Friday,” Patil added.
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