Amid the suspense over who will take the reins of the Nationalist Congress Party, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray said on Saturday that the next national president of the NCP should be a 'Patil' and not a 'Patel'. His remark is seen as a dig at Praful Patel, whose name is among the frontrunners to succeed Ajit Pawar as NCP's national president.
"Honestly, one doesn't even feel like commenting on it. But still, today, I will have to speak on the events unfolding throughout the day. A party like the Nationalist Congress Party, which is truly rooted in Marathi soil, should have a president who is a pure Marathi. He could be a Patil, but not a Patel," he said in a roughly translated post in Marathi on X (formerly Twitter).
In 2023, Ajit Pawar caused a split in NCP after he, along with many senior leaders, joined the ruling Mahayuti coalition in Maharashtra. Later, Ajit's faction was declared the real NCP and allotted the 'clock' symbol. Ajit was also made the NCP national president, but his unfortunate death in a plane crash near Baramati airport in Pune district has forced the party to appoint a new person to the post.
NCP's succession plan
Praful Patel's name is being considered for the position. However, sources told India TV that many NCP leaders want Sunetra Pawar, Ajit Pawar's wife to become the next party president. Sunetra, 62-year-old, on Saturday was also sworn in as Maharashtra deputy chief minister, a position held by her late husband, at Mumbai's Lok Bhavan. She has also been allotted the excise department, sports and youth welfare, and welfare and minorities development portfolios by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.
While the NCP is yet to decide over its next national president, Sharad Pawar has claimed that Ajit wanted the reunion of the two factions. The former union minister also claimed that the announcement was likely to be made on February 12. Notably, the NCP and the NCP(SP) had contested the municipal corporation elections in Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad together.
However, NCP's Maharashtra unit chief Sunil Dattatray Tatkare has dismissed Sharad Pawar's claim and said that there alliance was only for the local body elections. "The January 17 video of a meeting of Sharad Pawar and Ajit Pawar, which is being circulated, was of a tea party after an agriculture exhibition in Baramati. Ajit dada himself had told the media that the meeting was about alliance for local body polls," he said.
