Eknath Khadse announces retirement from electoral politics, seeks vote for daughter

Jalgaon (Maharashtra):

Former NCP-SP leader Eknath Khadse, who quit the BJP in 2020 accusing the leadership of negligence, on Monday announced his retirement from electoral politics citing health concerns.

However, in an emotional appeal to voters in Maharashtra’s Muktainagar Assembly seat, Mr. Khadse, who was ready for his ‘ghar wapsi’ in the BJP but abandoned the idea due to lack of formal offer, urged voters to elect his daughter and NCP-SP candidate Rohini Khadse is pitted against Shiv Sena candidate Chandrakant Patil.

In the 2019 elections, BJP candidate Rohini Khadse lost to Chandrakant Patil, who was later elected as an independent.

“I have been in politics for many years. I have participated in the good and bad times of the public by helping them all without looking at their castes and religions. Today, I am not doing well. God Almighty Powerful will only decide whether I will attend the next elections or not. But I sincerely appeal to you to elect Rohini Khadse in the current elections,” Mr. Khadse said.

His call comes as Rohini Khadse, as the NCP-SP candidate, is locked in a fierce battle against Shiv Sena candidate Chandrakant Patil. Besides, Mr. Khadse’s daughter-in-law and Union Minister of State Raksha Khadse actively campaigned against her sister-in-law while appealing to voters to elect MahaYuti candidate Chandrakant Patil.

Mr. Khadse, while announcing his decision to retire from electoral politics, also hinted that Rohini Khadse and not his daughter-in-law Raksha Khadse was his heir apparent in politics. Further, he also reiterated that returning to the BJP is a closed chapter for him and he will remain in the Sharad Pawar-led NCP. Rohini Khadse is also the president of the women’s wing of the NCP-SP and has also ruled out the possibility of rejoining the BJP.

Muktainagar Taluka has always been a stronghold of the BJP, except for the 2019 elections, when Chandrakant Patil, a former Shiv Sena leader, won the seat as an independent who was later supported by the NCP (United). In the changed political context, Mr. Khadse and his daughter are largely counting on the support of NCP-SP, Shiv Sena UBT and Congress cadres. Eknath Khadse, who worked for over four decades as an OBC leader to consolidate the BJP’s position in north Maharashtra in particular and other parts of the state, hopes to attract his supporters even from the BJP .

On the other hand, Chandrakant Patil hopes to benefit from the work he did during his tenure with the strong support of MahaYuti partners. He is also counting on the strong support of Eknath Khadse’s rival and BJP minister, Girish Mahajan, and in particular the BJP electoral apparatus, as well as the strength of Shiv Sena and the NCP. Due to the insistence of Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, Chandrakant Patil, who had filed his nomination as an independent, joined Shiv Sena and entered the electoral fray as the candidate of Eknath Shinde faction. Shinde made Chandrakant Patil’s victory a matter of prestige.

The Maratha-OBC reservation dispute, lack of jobs available to locals, water shortage and problems faced by commuters traveling in public transport buses are some of the major issues raised during the countryside. Chandrakant Patil downplayed Khadse senior’s dominance in the constituency saying he would win on the development front. On the other hand, Rohini Khadse asserted that she will emerge victorious because of the support of the people and also because of her father’s legacy.

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