Sunil Tatkare to step down as Maharashtra NCP president

Two days ahead of the internal polls, Sunil Tatkare, incumbent state president of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) announced that he is not interested in taking up the responsibility again.

“I was there as the state chief for four years. The party put trust in me for two terms and that too at the time of crisis. Now I want them to consider someone else for the job. Our party has many competent leaders to take up this responsibility,” Tatkare said.

Few hours later, Tatkare was appointed as national general secretary of the party on NCP chief Sharad Pawar’s orders. He is now likely to be asked to contest Lok Sabha elections slated next year, from Raigad. Tatkare lost the last elections with just 2,110 votes.

With this development, chances of former finance minister Jayant Patil to be chosen as the state president became stronger. Patil is one of the senior-most leaders of the party from the second-rung leadership. He is also considered as a trusted leader who is mentored by the party chief.

Shashikant Shinde, former minister and MLA from Satara district of western Maharashtra, who is considered a close confidante of Ajit Pawar, senior Pawar’s nephew, is also said to be in the race for the position.

Ahead of the 2019 polls, the party is all set to rejig its organisation in the state. The party working committee is meeting on April 29 in Pune where Pawar will decide the leader who will lead the party in the state under him.

Three leaders were said to be the frontrunners for the position and one of them was Tatkare. While Ajit Pawar is said to be favouring Shinde, Patil is said to be a confidante of the party chief.

“Tatkare is also expected to be in-charge of two states which are yet to be finalised by the party chief,” said another NCP leader requesting anonymity.