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Maharashtra Congress President Nana Patole. (File) Nana Patole was Friday appointed as the new president of Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee president.
Patole, the MLA from Sakoli in Bhandara district, had resigned as the Speaker of Maharashtra Assembly on Thursday, creating a new scramble between the constituents of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government.
“The Congress president has appointed Nana Patole as the new president of Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee,” the party said in a statement. Patole was BJP MP who had quit the party and joined Congress after a showdown with Prime Minister Narendra Modi before 2019 Lok Sabha polls. Following this, he successfully contested the 2019 Assembly polls in the state and won from Sakoli constituency.
Congress chief Sonia Gandhi also appointed six working presidents –– Shivaji Rao Moge, Basavaraj Patil, Mohamed Arif Naseem Khan, Kunal Rohidas Patil, Chandrakanth Handore and Pranati Shushilkumar Shinde to work in coordination with Patole, who has replaced Balasaheb Thorat as the state committee president.
Congress also appoints six working presidents and 10 vice presidents for Maharashtra. @IndianExpress pic.twitter.com/U1gRyFOrGs
— Manoj C G (@manojcg4u) February 5, 2021
Ten vice presidents of the party’s Maharashtra unit, including former Rajya Sabha member Hussain Dalwai, were also appointed.
The party also formed a Parliamentary Board in the state with 37 members, a Strategy, Screening and Coordination Committee for the upcoming local bodies elections.
The Congress is in alliance with the Shiv Sena and the Nationalist Congress Party in the MVA government in Maharashtra. A delegation of Congress ministers, headed by Thorat, had recently met the party leadership in Delhi.
After his appointment as the state Congress president, NCP leaders congratulated Patole. “Hearty congratulations to former Assembly Speaker
Nana Patole ji (@NANA_PATOLE) on being appointed as Maharashtra Pradesh Congress president! Best wishes for his future endeavours,” state home minister Anil Deshmukh tweeted. Baramati MP Supriya Sule and Raigad MP Sunil Tatkare too wished him the best for his new role.
