Eknath Khadse.
Cedit: PTI File Photo
Eknath Khadse’s ghar-wapsi in BJP would give the saffron party a much needed push in the Khandesh-North Maharashtra region.
Khadse is expected to get some big responsibilities at the national level.
The 71-year-old Natha Bhau, as he is popularly called, knows the art of being relevant and in news.
Khadse belongs to the Leva-Patil community, which falls under OBCs.
Khadse, a grassroots politician, efficient administrator and a powerful orator, hails from Muktainagar in Jalgaon district.
The North Maharashtra region comes under the Nashik revenue division comprising five districts of Nashik, Ahmednagar, Jalgaon, Dhule and Nandurbar districts, which has eight Lok Sabha seats.
The region has been a stronghold of the BJP, however, the exit of Khadse did have an impact on the region.
Owing to differences with BJP’s Devendra Fadnavis and his North Maharashtra pointsman Girish Mahajan, Khadse left the BJP in October 2020 joined the Sharad Pawar-led NCP. Because of his experience, he was made an MLC by Pawar, who now heads the NCP (SP) after the split by Ajit Pawar, who controls the real NCP.
Khadse has indicated that he would join the BJP in the next few days.
Last week, he went to New Delhi and met Union Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP President J P Nadda.
Reacting to the development, state BJP President Chandrashekhar Bawankule said, "Fadnavis have already held Khadse in high esteem and have given him due respect."
Groomed by late Pramod Mahajan and then by Gopinath Munde, Khadse has travelled from being a Sarpanch of Kothali village to being the No. 2 in the government and in between becoming the Leader of the Opposition. However, his dream of becoming the Chief Minister, never realised.
Khadse had been an MLA winning the Muktainagar seat six times in 1990, 1995, 1999, 2004, 2009 and 2014.
His daughter-in-law Raksha Khadse has won the 2014 and 2019 Lok Sabha seat of Raver.
When she was given a ticket by BJP again to contest Raver again, it became evident that Khadse is on way to his parent party.
However, Khadse’s daughter Rohini Khadse made it clear that she is head of the women’s wing of NCP (SP) and would remain with the party. “I will continue with Pawar Saheb, fight and win,” she said.
Khadse shot into fame when he was appointed Finance Minister in 1995 under the Shiv Sena-BJP government headed by Dr Manohar Joshi. He was also part of the subsequent Narayan Rane ministry holding the same portfolio.
From November 2009 to October 2014, he was Leader of the Opposition in Assembly and in the Vidhan Sabha polls, the BJP came to power.
However, Fadnavis was appointed Chief Minister and he was No. 2 and got 10 portfolios including the important ones like Revenue, Agriculture, State Excise and Minorities and Development and Wakf.
While in government, his relations with Fadnavis soured and in wake of charges of alleged corruption, he had to resign.
In 2019, he was denied ticket from Muktainagar, however, later his daughter Rohini Khadse was accommodated but she lost to Independent Chandrakant Patil.
At a time when sitting Jalgaon MP Unmesh Patil became the first lawmaker to leave the party in five years in Maharashtra and join Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT), the BJP got a jolt.
Khadse’s homecoming will change the scenario in North Maharashtra.