Bhujbal throws his hat in the ring, says NCP needs an OBC state chief

On Thursday, Bhujbal carried forward the thought and said an OBC leader would represent the community that comprises 54 per cent of the state’s population. The community will subsequently find a connect with the party

MUMBAI: A day after opposition leader Ajit Pawar insinuated that he sought to become the state chief of Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), another leader from the party Chhagan Bhujbal expressed his desire to take up the same responsibility. Ajit had couched his move shrewdly on Wednesday when he said he did not want to be a leader of the opposition anymore and would rather work from within to show everyone how a party should be run.

Mumbai, India – June 21, 2023: NCP president chief Sharad Pawar during the Nationalist Congress Party ( NCP ) celebrates Silver jubilee year at Shanmukhananda Auditorium, in the presence of Member and acting president Supriya Sule, NCP leader Ajit Pawar, NCP leaders Praful Patel, NCP leader & MP Sunil Tatkare, along with other NCP leaders, in Mumbai, India, on Wednesday, June 21, 2023. (Photo by Bhushan Koyande/HT Photo)

In a party otherwise full of Maratha leaders, on Thursday, Bhujbal insisted the state president should be from the Other Backward Classes (OBC) community, as the party “needed to balance the caste equations”. He said a leader from the community should lead the unit in the state, just like Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Congress. Both parties have OBC leaders as state unit chiefs, in Chandrashekhar Bawankule and Nana Patole respectively.

NCP’s state unit chief Jayant Patil and opposition leader in assembly Ajit Pawar are both Marathas.

The developments are indicative of restive voices within the party seeking to replace Jayant Patil, who has been the state president for over five years, having outlived his tenure by over two years, said NCP insiders. At several party meets in the recent past, Ajit’s faction has considered having an OBC face to lead the party in Maharashtra. The leaders have considered Sunil Tatkare and Dhananjay Munde, both Ajit aides, for the position.

On Thursday, Bhujbal carried forward the thought and said an OBC leader would represent the community that comprises 54 per cent of the state’s population. The community will subsequently find a connect with the party. “We have leaders like Sunil Tatkare, Dhananjay Munde and Jitendra Awhad to fill the spot. I am also ready to work if chosen for the opportunity,” said Bhujbal.

Bhujbal is among the senior most leaders of the party. He was first the Maharashtra unit chief when NCP was formed in June, 1999. After four months, he was made the deputy chief minister after the state assembly elections held the same year. The party had aligned with Congress for the first time.

Meanwhile, at a function held at Bal Gandharva Ranga Mandir in Pune, NCP’s newly appointed working president, Supriya Sule, responded to Ajit’s desire to work within the party. She said, “I am very happy to know that Ajit dada wants to work for the organization. The party will become stronger if more senior leaders like him start doing so.” The Baramati MP added that this encourages cadres to work as well “as they also understand that working for the party is as important as contesting elections.”