Khadse’s re-induction to decided by committee, says Bawankule

State Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Chandrashekhar Bawankule, who was in the city on Sunday, said the party has central as well as state committees that look after the joining process of members and there will be no piecemeal approach over Eknath Khadse’s induction into the saffron party.

“There is a central as well as state committee of our party which looks after the new joining. Both committees will take a decision on Khadse joining the BJP,” he said.

Khadse’s entry into the BJP is expected to revive the party’s strength in the north Maharashtra region.

Khadse, once a senior leader in BJP, had to resign in 2016 as a minister of the erstwhile Devendra Fadnavis cabinet owing to a controversial land deal case.

Subsequently, Khadse was relegated to the political wilderness for almost five years before he quit the party and join the NCP (undivided) in 2020.

At the time of joining NCP, Khadse had blamed Fadnavis and his confidant Girish Mahajan for harming his political career.

Asked if Fadnavis has any objection to Khadse’s return to the BJP, Bawankule said, “The state deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis never opposed veteran leader Khadse, instead he has huge respect for him.”

Earlier on Saturday, Rohini, who is state president of Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) women wing, said even as her father is returning to the BJP, she will stay with NCP (SP). “I will stay with the Sharad Pawar-led NCP,” said Rohini.

“A number of leaders including Ashok Chavan, Archana Patil, among others have joined our party and we have welcomed them,” said Bawankule.

Former Maharashtra chief minister Chavan quit the Congress in February this year and joined the BJP.

The BJP later nominated him for the Rajya Sabha poll from Maharashtra and he was elected unopposed to the Upper House of Parliament.

Archana Patil, daughter-in-law of senior Congress leader and former Union home minister Shivraj Patil, also joined the BJP recently.