NCP Chief Sharad Pawar Appoints Supriya Sule, Praful Patel As Working Presidents In Big Blow To Nephew Ajit

NCP chief Sharad Pawar on Saturday declared Praful Patel and Supriya Sule as working presidents of the party, marking a generational change in the organization and virtually sidelining nephew Ajit Pawar, known for displaying rebellious tendencies. Are. Pawar made the announcement at a function here to celebrate the 24th anniversary of the establishment of the Nationalist Congress Party. “Praful Patel will take over as the working president of the Nationalist Congress Party. Supriya Sule will also be the working president of the party,” Pawar said in the presence of senior leaders including Ajit Pawar, Chhagan Bhujbal, Sunil Tatkare, Fauzia Khan. , among others.

Ajit Pawar, who had joined hands with the BJP in 2019 and was sworn in as chief minister along with Devendra Fadnavis as deputy chief minister at an early-morning swearing-in ceremony, appeared upset by the announcement and left here without talking to the party office. moved from. Media. An elated Patel said he was surprised by Pawar’s announcement and would continue to work for the party. Patel said, “I have been working with Pawar saheb since 1999. So, this is nothing new for me. Certainly, I am happy to be promoted as working president. I am committed to increasing the footprint of the party.” Will continue to work for.” Pawar also made Patel the party in-charge of Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Jharkhand, Goa and Rajya Sabha. Sule will be in charge of NCP affairs in Maharashtra, Haryana, Punjab and issues related to women, youth, students and Lok Sabha.

“I am grateful to NCP President Hon’ble Pawar Sahab and all senior leaders, party colleagues, party workers and well-wishers of @NCPSpeaks for entrusting me with this great responsibility of working president along with honorable @praful_patel bhai.” In a tweet, Sule said, “The party that has brought us this far, I will work diligently with all of you to further strengthen NCP and we will collectively build the country for the larger good of our fellow citizens.” Will serve By placing Sule in charge of Maharashtra, Pawar effectively reported on party affairs to nephew Ajit Pawar, a move that may have caused disquiet within the party. Pawar formed the NCP on June 10, 1999 along with Tariq Anwar and PA Sangma. He was expelled from the Congress for raising an issue related to the then Congress President, Sonia Gandhi. Pawar managed to retain power by joining hands with the Congress to form a coalition government after the 1999 Maharashtra Assembly elections. Five years later, when the Congress-led UPA came to power, Pawar and Patel became Union ministers and the NCP increased its presence in several states.

However, the party has shrunk since 2014, when it lost power both in Maharashtra and at the Centre. The NCP lost its national party status in April after the Election Commission concluded that the party no longer satisfied the status of state party status in Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya and Manipur. Last month, Pawar had announced his decision to step down as NCP chief, but took back his decision following strong protests from party members as well as other political leaders. Ajit Pawar in a tweet congratulated both the new office-bearers and said that the NCP “will make a significant contribution to the development of the country and the state. It is believed that each and every worker and office-bearer of the NCP party will work towards this goal. Congrats.” Newly elected officer!”