NEW DELHI: In a clear snub to his nephew Ajit Pawar, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) supremo Sharad Pawar has appointed Supriya Sule and Praful Patel as working presidents of the party.

The announcement, which came nearly a month after Pawar declared his resignation but later withdrew under pressure from workers, looks an act of balancing Praful is supposed to be from Ajit Pawar camp.

Praful is currently facing investigations by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the Income Tax department.

Ajit Pawar – who defied his uncle to join hands with the BJP and took oath as the deputy chief minister in 2019 in the BJP-led government – swallowed his pride and congratulated both the leaders on their appointment.

Supriya Sule, the daughter of Sharad Pawar, is serving as a Lok Sabha member while Praful is currently vice-president of the NCP. They were elevated at the NCP’s 25th Foundation Day celebration in New Delhi.

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Last month, Sharad Pawar surprised party members by tendering his resignation as president, signaling a transition in leadership. However, a committee formed by Pawar to determine his successor rejected his resignation and requested him to reconsider.

राष्ट्रवादी काँग्रेस पक्षाच्या २४ व्या वर्धापन दिनी आदरणीय शरदचंद्र पवार साहेबांच्या मार्गदर्शनाखाली खासदार प्रफुल्लभाई पटेल आणि खासदार सुप्रियाताई सुळे यांची पक्षाच्या कार्यकारी अध्यक्षपदी निवड करण्यात आली. तसंच खासदार प्रफुल्लभाई पटेल, खासदार सुप्रियाताई सुळे, खासदार सुनिल…

— Ajit Pawar (@AjitPawarSpeaks) June 10, 2023

Meanwhile, speculations have been rife that Ajit Pawar along with some MLAs might defect to the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party. He has, however, denied such rumours.

Pawar, along with PA Sangma, founded the NCP in 1999 after breaking away from the Congress. In 2019, Maharashtra politics witnessed unexpected turns when Ajit Pawar took oath as the deputy of BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis who took oath as the chief minister in an early morning ceremony at the Raj Bhavan. At the time, Shiv Sena, NCP, and the Congress party were in talks to form the government after Uddhav Thackeray severed ties with the saffron camp. However, their government could not sustain beyond three days due to lack of support.

I am grateful to NCP President Hon. Pawar Saheb and all the Senior Leaders, party colleagues, party workers and well wishers of @NCPSpeaks for bestowing this huge responsibility of Working President along with Hon. @praful_patel Bhai.

To my fellow members of the party, because…

— Supriya Sule (@supriya_sule) June 10, 2023

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As a working president, Sule will be coordinating the party’s affairs in Maharashtra, Haryana, Punjab, Women Youth, and in the Lok Sabha while Praful will now serve as in-charge of Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Goa.

Additionally, NCP national general secretary Sunil Tatkare has been entrusted with responsibilities in Odisha, West Bengal, the farmers’ and minority departments, while Nanda Shastri assumes the role of Delhi NCP chief.

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