Mumbai: Senior NCP (SP) leader Eknath Khadse, set to celebrate his 75th birthday with a grand event at Muktainagar in Jalgaon on August 30, has invited Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to attend the celebrations.
If the chief minister accepts the invitation, his presence will be politically significant given the two leaders’ bitter relationship. Khadse has repeatedly blamed Fadnavis for his political setbacks, including the decision to leave the BJP.
Several prominent leaders from across the political spectrum have been invited, including NCP (SP) president Sharad Pawar and deputy chief ministers Eknath Shinde and Sunetra Pawar.
Khadse was born on September 2, 1952. According to Arun Gujarathi, chairman of the Amrut Mahotsav Celebration Committee formed to organise Khadse’s 75th birthday celebrations, all invited leaders have confirmed their presence at the event. However, the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) has not yet confirmed Fadnavis’ participation.
Gujarathi maintained that the event is apolitical. “The celebrations have been organised to honour Eknath Khadse’s contribution to public life and his work across party lines, whether in government or in the opposition. It has nothing to do with politics or political affiliations. Hence, leaders from across the political spectrum have been invited,” Gujarathi said.
The political rivalry between Khadse and Fadnavis has its roots in the BJP. Khadse was one of the BJP’s most prominent leaders in North Maharashtra and enjoyed considerable influence in the region, particularly among the OBC Leva Patil community, which has a significant presence there.
After the 2014 assembly elections, he was a senior minister in the Fadnavis-led BJP government. However, he was forced to resign in 2016 following allegations of misuse of office in connection with a land deal in Bhosari, Pune. He did not return to the state cabinet for the remainder of the government’s term. In 2019, he was denied a BJP ticket to contest the assembly elections.
In October 2020, Khadse quit the BJP and joined the (undivided) NCP in the presence of Sharad Pawar. At the time, he accused then deputy chief minister Fadnavis of attempting to end his political career.
In June 2022, Khadse was elected to the Maharashtra legislative council on an NCP ticket. He is also facing a money-laundering investigation by the Enforcement Directorate. His daughter-in-law, Raksha Khadse, continues to be a BJP. leader.
