By Tejas Navale

Pune, September 14, 2024: Speculation has been rife regarding veteran leader Eknath Khadse's delayed re-induction into the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), months after he quit the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and declared his intent to rejoin his former party. Despite three months passing since Khadse’s shift, the public confirmation of his return to the BJP remains in limbo, fuelling questions over where Khadse's loyalties lie.

Amid growing uncertainty, Khadse recently hinted that two senior BJP leaders—widely believed to be Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and the Rural Development and Panchayati Raj, and Tourism Minister, Girish Mahajan—were holding up his re-entry into the party. He even went so far as to suggest that he might reconsider his decision and rejoin the NCP if the delay continued.

In response to these remarks, Devendra Fadnavis broke his silence during a press interaction in Nagpur, clarifying the situation and quelling rumours. “The central leadership has made its decision regarding Eknath Khadse, and we are all in agreement with that decision. After Ganesh Visarjan, we will have discussions with the central leadership, and a decision will be taken on it,” said Fadnavis. This statement indicates that Khadse’s formal re-induction into the BJP may occur after September 17.

The history between Fadnavis and Khadse has been antagonistic, with tensions dating back to 2014, when the BJP chose Fadnavis over Khadse for the Chief Minister's post, despite Khadse’s seniority in the party. Relations further soured when Khadse was forced to resign from his ministerial position amid a land scam controversy during Fadnavis’s tenure. The party also denied him a ticket in the 2019 assembly elections, leading to his defection to Sharad Pawar’s NCP in 2020.

Khadse’s political fortunes shifted again when he rejoined the BJP just before the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, reportedly at the urging of the party’s central leadership. Subsequently, he played a key role in securing his daughter-in-law Raksha Khadse’s victory in the Raver Lok Sabha constituency, yet the formalities of his return to BJP remain incomplete.

Khadse recently expressed frustration, suggesting that Fadnavis and Mahajan were stalling his return, even going as far as to say that they considered themselves “bigger than Modi-Shah.” Fadnavis, however, maintained a diplomatic tone in his remarks, signalling that the party is close to resolving the issue and Khadse’s official re-entry is likely to take place after the Ganesh festival.

With Khadse threatening to return to the NCP fold, it remains to be seen how the BJP leadership will navigate this internal challenge, particularly with upcoming assembly elections on the horizon.