Rift in BJP surfaces as Khadse files papers

The simmering rift between Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis and veteran leader Eknath Khadse came out in open after the latter filed his nominations despite his name missing from the first list that was announced by BJP on Tuesday.

Khadse (67), once No. 2 in the Fadnavis government holding 9 portfolios including revenue and agriculture, now had to be dropped due to charges of alleged corruption.

Khadse, a six-time MLA, who was close to late Gopinath Munde, filed his papers from Muktainagar in his home district of Jalgaon. Khadse, who hails from the Leva Patil community, had also served as leader of opposition in Assembly and one of the seniormost leader of BJP from the state.

It is still unknown if his name would be in the second list or whether the party would endorse his nomination by giving the AB form.

Fadnavis (49), who is running for the second term as CM, will contest his home seat of Nagpur South West.

The first list of 125 candidates was released by BJP's national working president J P Nadda.

The list of cultural affairs minister Vinod Tawde and energy minister Chandrashekar Bawankule does not figure in the list but indications are there that they may be accommodated in the second list.

Tawde, a Maratha, was once a CM aspirant. Veteran Prakash Mehta and Raj Purohit, the BJP's Gujarati and Marwari face respectively, also do not figure in the first list.
State BJP president and revenue minister Chandrakant Patil, currently an MLC, has been fielded from Kothrud in Pune.

Fadnavis's pointsman and state water resources minister Girish Mahajan, who oversaw the induction of sitting MLAs from NCP and Congress, will contest from Jamner.

Shivaji, Tilak family members get a ticket

Pune mayor Mukta Tilak, the wife of Shailesh Tilak, the great-grandson of Lokmanya Bal Gangadhar Tilak, will be contesting from Kasba Peth in Pune. Shivendrasinhraje Bhosale, a descendant of the family of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, who recently switched from NCP to BJP has been given ticket from Satara.

Most turncoats were given tickets.

Most turncoats including the former Congress leaders Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil, Jaykumar Gore, Kalidas Kolambkar, Harshawardhan Patil and former NCP MLAs Shivendra Bhosale, Vaibhav Pichad, Sandeep Naik, Ranajagjitsinh Patil have been included in the list. Barring Ranajagjitsinh, all the other turncoats will contest from their home constituencies. Ranajagjitsinh, however, has been asked to contest from Tuljapur instead of his home turf of Osmanabad, which has been left for the Sena.

CM's PA gets a ticket

Fadnavis’s personal assistant Abhimanyu Pawar has been given a ticket from Ausa constituency in Marathwada. This seat was earlier with the Sena.