Two-term MP grapples with anti-incumbency factor

Political equations in the Raver Lok Sabha constituency from Jalgaon district in north Maharashtra have changed drastically after veteran leader Eknath Khadse decided to rejoin the BJP.

- IANS

Khadse left the BJP in October 2020 while blaming the local leadership of injustice and neglect. Although he is yet to be formally re-inducted into the saffron party, he has a clout in the constituency due to his political journey of over 40 years. Now, with Khadse at her side, the BJP nominee Raksha Khadse hopes to score a hat-trick from Raver constituency which has been represented by the party after it was created in February 2009 during the delimitation process.

Raksha Khadse is pitted against NCP (SP) candidate Shriram Patil who is a leading industrialist and comes from the Maratha community. Significantly, Eknath Khadse is Raksha Khadse's father-in-law. The NCP(SP) had explored the option of fielding Khadse senior against his daughter-in-law but Khadse's move to rejoin the BJP changed the equation. With NCP(SP)'s move to nominate a new face, Raksha Khadse faces the twin challenge of battling the anti-incumbency factor and winning the seat with a higher margin.