Senior Maharashtra BJP leader Eknath Khadse has resigned from the party and will join the Sharad Pawar-led NCP on Friday. Khadse sent his resignation to Maharashtra BJP president Chandrakant Patil today. “I am resigning from the primary membership of BJP due to personal reasons,” he said in his letter. Commenting on the resignation, the state BJP chief said that he has received Eknath Khadse’s resignation this morning and it has been accepted. “We give him our best wishes for joining a new party,” Chandrakant Patil said.
Senior NCP leader and minister Jayant Patil confirmed that Khadse will join his party later this week. Speaking to reporters, Patil said: “Eknath Khadse promoted BJP in Maharashtra over years. I have been informed that BJP Leader Eknath Khadse has resigned from his party. We have decided to give him an entry in the NCP. He will be formally inducted into NCP at 2 pm on Friday.”
Khadse has been unhappy with the BJP for some time now. He was minister in the Devendra Fadnavis cabinet but was made to resign following serious allegations of corruption and misuse of office. He was also denied a ticket by the BJP in the last assembly election held in 2019. Khadse blamed internal politics and Devendra Fadnavis for the denial of ticket.
He also attacked former chief minister Fadnavis and accused him of ruining his political career. Khadse said that Fadnavis plotted against him as he was a strong contender to be the first OBC chief minister candidate of the BJP. In 2014, Khadse was among the contenders for the top post but the saffron party picked Devedra Fadnavis for the job.
