Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) President Sharad Pawar has named senior leaders Praful Patel and his daughter Supriya Sule (Pawar) as the new Working Presidents of the party. The announcement has been made as the party enters its Silver Jubilee year, before the upcoming Lok Sabha elections and several state polls. Pawar had previously created a stir by announcing his resignation, which he later withdrew as per the party’s wishes. The reshuffle in the party’s organisation has been made at the top levels. Patel, a Rajya Sabha MP, will be in charge of Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Jharkhand, Goa, and the Upper House of Parliament. Meanwhile, Sule, who is a Lok Sabha MP from Baramati, shall be in-charge of Maharashtra, Punjab, and Haryana, women, youth, students, and the Lower House of Parliament.
Several other changes have been made as well, with some general secretaries taking charge of certain areas. Pawar has instructed all national general secretaries to consult the new working presidents before making major policy decisions and to keep him in the loop regarding various activities regularly. The reshuffle has sparked speculation of further changes in the future at various levels across the party’s different state units.
NCP sources suggest that more changes in the party are expected to happen as the clock ticks away towards the elections. Jayant Patil, the State NCP President, has congratulated all the new appointees, including Patel and Sule, saying that the party will now grow stronger and that everyone is going to work hard ahead of elections, with the party entering its 25th year. Senior NCP spokespersons Clyde Crasto and Mahesh Tapase have praised the appointments of Patel and Sule, who they believe will prove to be beneficial to the party. Tapase has stated that Sule has been instrumental in bringing new voters and youth to the party fold, which is expected to boost the party’s prospects in the upcoming elections.
The party’s reshuffle has not assigned any new responsibilities to Sharad Pawar‘s nephew, Ajit Pawar, who is already responsible for leading the opposition in the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly. Ajit has confirmed that he is not disappointed about it and congratulated all the newly appointed leaders, wishing them the best in their efforts to strengthen the party. The party’s Permanent Secretary, S.R. Kohli, has been entrusted with coordinating with the Election Commission on the party’s behalf, including press, publicity, and administration.
