Veteran Eknath Khadse, who is NCP (SP) MLC, to return to BJP fold next week

More than three years after he ended his 40yearold association with BJP following differences with state leadership and crossed over to the Sharad Pawarled NCP undivided veteran leader Eknath Khadse on Saturday said he will join his parent party next week in New Delhi reported news agency PTIKhadse who had to resign in 2016 as a minister of the erstwhile Devendra Fadnavis cabinet owing to a land deal case said he had left the party over certain developmentsOnce one of the tallest leaders of the Bharatiya Janata Party in Maharashtra Khadse was relegated to the political wilderness for almost five years before Sharad Pawar rehabilitated him in NCP undivided in 2020I am returning to the BJP I approached the Central leadership of BJP and conveyed to them my wish to return to the party fold I will formally join the BJP in Delhi next week Khadse 71 told PTINotably Khadse had blamed Fadnavis and his confidant Girish Mahajan for harming his political careerI have discussed all issues I had with state BJP with top leadership and made up my mind to return said Khadse who recently met BJP chief JP Nadda and Union Home Minister Amit Shah reported PTIKhadse said he would join the BJP in Delhi next weekWhen asked about the reason for his decision to return to the BJP fold the veteran from North Maharashtra said he had been associated with the saffron party for more than four decadesI worked hard to build the party at the grassroots I was upset with some developments and left said Khadse reported PTIHe joined the NCP undivided in 2020 and was made MLCInterestingly Khadse his wife and soninlaw are facing charges of graft and misuse of official position in the land case that was registered with the Bund Garden police station in Pune city on a complaint of activist Hemant GawandeThe case was later transferred to the ACBKhadses entry into the BJP is expected to revive the partys strength in north Maharashtra region reported PTIRecently BJPs sitting MP from Jalgaon Unmesh Patil crossed over to Shiv Sena UBT recently after he was denied a ticket The party has fielded Smita Wagh from JalgaonKhadses daughterinlaw Raksha Khadse is sitting BJP MP from Raver who is seeking a third term in Lok Sabha in the upcoming electionsKhadses daughter Rohini Khadse is with NCP Sharadchandra PawarKhadse who hails from Muktainagar in Jalgaon district expanded the BJP network at the grassroots in north Maharashtra comprising the districts of Jalgaon Nashik Dhule and NandurbarA strong OBC face in the BJP he became more important after Gopinath Mundes death soon after becoming a Union minister in 2014Khadse belongs to the Leva Patil community an influential vote bank in the northern region of the stateIt was Khadse who helped the BJP gain strength in the Zilla Parishad then the district cooperative bank and the Jalgaon municipal corporationKhadse replied in the negative when asked whether he discussed his move to join the BJP with Sharad PawarI have not yet thought about it Khadse said when asked if he would resign as an MLC reported PTIIt doesnt matter as there are only three MLCs of the Sharad Pawar group now he added reported PTISpeaking at a rally Shiv Sena minister Gulabrao Patil who hails from Jalgaon said Khadse will rejoin BJP on April 8 or 9 reported PTIWith inputs from PTI