Eknath Khadse Files Papers As Independent In Maharashtra
Miffed over his name not figuring in the first BJP list of candidates for the Maharashtra polls, senior BJP leader Eknath Khadse filed his nomination papers on Tuesday as an Independent from Muktainagar in Jalgaon district.
Expressing his unhappiness over the treatment meted out to him, the former minister said if it was a crime to be loyal to the party, then he has committed that offence.
Mr Khadse, once seen as the №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 prominent OBC leader had resigned as revenue minister in June 2016 after facing allegations of misusing his power to purchase a piece of land in the Pune MIDC area.
Mr Khadse’s statement came in the backdrop of his name missing from the BJP’s first list of 125 candidates for the October 21 Assembly polls.
Hours later, the 67-year-old filed his nomination papers as an Independent from the Muktainagar assembly segment.
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.
“I have completed all responsibilities given to me by my party. All I can say is that I bow before the changed times (kaalay tasmai namah), said a bitterly sounding Mr Khadse, who once handled nearly a dozen portfolios.
Eknath Khadse has been representing Muktainagar, his home turf in North Maharashtra, since 1991.
