Mumbai: Former minister and senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Eknath Khadse on Friday expressed displeasure over his being ignored by the party leadership and announced that he and his daughter-in-law Raksha Khadse, were not keen on contesting the ensuing Lok Sabha and assembly polls. Sadhana, the wife of Girish Mahajan, the minister for water resources, is a strong aspirant for candidacy from Raver, which is currently represented by Raksha.
Khadse attended the party’s national convention in Delhi on Friday. Before a meeting, Khadse interacted with mediapersons and expressed regrets about the life he has been forced to live. “I am very disappointed with the treatment given to me by the party.” He further said, “I have worked for the welfare of the party for over 40 years.
But my own party has punished me when we came into power, though I did not commit any mistake. I had to resign from the post of minister in June 2016 and since then I have been at the receiving end from my own party. I know the ‘Shani’ (Saturn) responsible for the ruin of my political career.”
This situation has left him frustrated and he has decided not to contest the Lok Sabha polls. Raksha is the BJP’s Member of Parliament from Raver in Jalgaon district. According to a survey conducted by the BJP, Raksha stands no chance of winning a second term from the Raver Lok Sabha constituency.
BJP insiders claim Raksha is one of the sitting MPs who is likely to be replaced. Sources said Sadhana Mahajan will bthe BJP candidate from Raver. Aware of this, Khadse may have announced that Raksha will not contest the polls. This announcement is to protect him from future embarrassment. “It is a pressure tactic by Khadse, anticipating that the party leadership will convince him to change his decision,” said the source.
