Mumbai: As Narendra Modi takes oath as prime minister for a third consecutive term, among the first lot of Maharashtra MPs to be inducted in the Union cabinet is newly elected Shiv Sena MP from Buldhana Prataprao Jadhav — a common Shiv Sainik who climbed up the ranks, and is now one of the seniormost in the Eknath Shinde camp.
The Shiv Sena contested 15 seats and won seven. Shrikant Shinde, son of Eknath Shinde was among the winners, but Jadhav was the frontrunner in the list of probables for Modi’s cabinet.
Speaking to the media Sunday, Prataprao Jadhav said, “We all had suggested to CM Shindeji that the Sena should nominate Shrikant Shindeji for a ministerial position, but Shrikantji refused citing that he wished to work for the organisation.”
He added: “CM Shinde said that a common Shiv Sainik should get an opportunity and justice. I thank him for nominating me for this position.”
Jadhav, 63, is a four-term MP and three-term MLA in the state. This time, he won by a margin of over 29,000 votes, defeating Narendra Dagdu Khedekar of Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray).
Jadhav was born on 25 November 1960 at Mehkar in Buldhana. He has studied till the 12th standard. He started his political career as sarpanch and climbed up the ranks from there.
In 1995, he was first elected to the state assembly from Mehkar constituency, and then was re-elected in 1999 and 2004. During that period, he was also a minister in the first Shiv Sena-BJP government in 1995-99.
In 2009, he contested his first parliamentary election, and defeated the Nationalist Congress Party’s (NCP’s) Rajendra Shingne by a margin of 28,000 votes.
In the next ‘Modi wave’ election in 2014, Jadhav won again, and then again in 2019.
When the Shiv Sena split, he stayed with Eknath Shinde and contested in Buldhana against Khedekar of the Shiv Sena (UBT).
(Edited by Gitanjali Das)
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