NCP Sharad Pawar dismisses rumours, explains why Ajit Pawar wasn't given key NCP post
Mumbai: NCP patriarch Sharad Pawar has appointed his daughter Supriya Sule and close aide Praful Patel as the two new party presidents amid rumours of disagreement with his nephew Ajit Pawar.
Pawar said the names of the two leaders were suggested by the party members and the decision is not sudden.
The discussions to appoint party presidents to shoulder key responsibilities had been going on for the last two months, he added.
He dismissed the rumours of a fallout with Ajit Pawar over the issue, adding that the younger leader is already the leader of the Opposition in the Maharashtra Assembly.
Supriya Sule has been assigned the duty of overseeing the states of Maharashtra, Haryana, and Punjab, Sharad Pawar said.
Praful Patel has been entrusted with the responsibility for Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Goa, Rajasthan, and Jharkhand.
Supriya Sule has also been appointed as the head of NCP's central election committee.
Sule was appointed to lead the election committee due to her extensive political experience in the Lok Sabha, having served three terms, he added.
The party will also hold a general body meeting in July.
Meanwhile, he also reiterated his commitment to uniting non-BJP parties and actively campaigning for the upcoming 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
He said the forthcoming Opposition meeting scheduled to take place in Patna on June 23, where West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress (TMC) supremo Mamata Banerjee is anticipated to participate.
He asserted that the June 23 meeting will give a new direction to the now scattered Opposition as people want change at the Centre.
Pawar said there is no need to worry that the Opposition doesn’t have a Prime Ministerial candidate at the moment.
He referred to the situation in 1966-77 when the Opposition did not have a leader but chose Morarji Desai after securing a majority in the election.
It is possible to emulate what happened in 1977 in the current situation, too, he added.
