Quixplained: will Khadse play OBC pied piper BJP can't afford in Maha?

With senior OBC leader Eknath Khadse, who was for long sidelined in the BJP, set to join the Sharad Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party, the impact on the saffron party’s Maharashtra unit is believed to be nothing less than damaging. Khadse, who served the BJP for 35 years, was a main contender for the chief minister’s post when the BJP-Shiv Sena won the Assembly elections in 2014. A six-time MLA from Muktainagar constituency in Jalgaon, he was denied a ticket last year. Khadse has been vocal against Fadnavis for the past several months and has accused the accused the former CM of ruining his political career. The OBC leader who has considerable sway over the lower castes in his states was forced to resign as minister in 2016 after his name was mired in a land grab case. Khadse had blamed Fadnavis for plotting against him. A news report after the state elections last year had claimed that there are at least 15 OBC MLAs in the BJP who feel sidelined under Fadnavis' leadership. Will Khadse play the political pide piper BJP can hardly afford.