Expressing his disappointment over the treatment meted out to him from BJP Eknath Khadse said if it was a crime to be loyal, then he has committed that offence
Mumbai: Yesterday BJP announced its first list for Maharashtra assembly polls some name is been identified the same and few are new according to sources. In the first list of candidates for the Maharashtra polls, senior BJP leader Eknath Khadse filed his nomination papers on Tuesday as an independent candidate from Muktainagar in Jalgaon district.
Expressing his disappointment over the treatment meted out to him from BJP the former minister Khadse said if it was a crime to be loyal, then he has committed that offence.
Khadse was seen once as the No. 2 in the Devendra Fadnavis cabinet but sidelined in the party for the last few years, claimed: “several offers” were made to him, but he did not accept any of them.
The North Maharashtra’s prominent OBC leader had resigned as revenue minister in June 2016 after facing allegations of misleading his power to purchase a piece of land in the Pune MIDC area.
Khadses statement came in when his name was missing from the BJP’s first list of 125 candidates for the October 21 Assembly polls.
Khadse filed his nomination papers as an independent candidate from the Muktainagar assembly seat. Speaking to reporters later, he said, “I have been loyal to the BJP for the last 42 years. If it is a crime, then I have committed it.
Eknath Khadse said “I have completed all the responsibilities given to me by my party. All I can say is that I bend before the changing times once he handled nearly a dozen portfolios. Khadse is representing Muktainagar, his home turf in North Maharashtra, since 1991.
“I was waiting for the seat-sharing formula of alliances in state and to know whether my seat will to the Shiv Sena or not. Several offers were made to me, but I did not accept any of them, he added.
The BJP and the Shiv Sena had announced their seat-sharing arrangement out of 288. Both parties have divided seat-sharing of 144 seats for BJP and 124 till now for assembly.
The nomination papers can be filed by October 4 as announced by the Election Commission, while the date for their scrutiny is October 5. Nominations can be withdrawn till October 7.
Prominent leaders from BJP such as Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis is set to contest from Nagpur South West while Chandrakant Patil will contest from Kothrud.
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