National Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar has dismissed rumours that his appointment of his daughter Supriya Sule as the Working President of the party has upset his nephew, Ajit Pawar. In fact, Pawar himself suggested the appointment of Sule. Pawar announced the appointment of Sule and Praful Patel as the working presidents of the NCP. Ajit Pawar was seen as the heir-apparent in the NCP, but his links with the BJP were not received well by the party. Earlier, there were reports that Ajit Pawar was unhappy with the elevation of Sule. However, Pawar clarified that there was not even one per cent truth in these reports.
Pawar also said that the decision to elevate Patel and Sule was a conscious decision taken by the entire party and not him alone. He maintained that senior party leaders had suggested the proposal, which was under discussion for the past one month. Sule, who is a Lok Sabha member, has been given the responsibility of adjoining states of Haryana and Punjab, besides Maharashtra. Similarly, Patel has personal contacts in Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh, states that are closer to Gondiya, his hometown.
The BJP, however, was quick to take a dig at the announcement made by the NCP chief. BJP IT Department in-charge Amit Malviya said on Twitter, If only Sharad Pawar loved his nephew as much as Mamata Banerjee loves hers. Pawar responded to this by saying, There is no vacancy now. We can talk about it when there is a vacancy.
Pawar also clarified that the appointments of Patel and Sule were not driven by nepotism. He insisted that it was a well-thought-out decision by the entire party. If I had to make a decision, why would I have waited all these years, the NCP supremo stated.
Sule was also appointed as the chairperson of the party’s Central Election Authority as well as the in-charge of Maharashtra, the only state where the NCP has a formidable electoral presence. This move is seen as a generational shift in the party.
