Supriya Sule gets bigger role in NCP

Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar’s daughter Supriya Sule’s brainchild, a youth wing for women, got a leg up at the party’s national executive meeting held in Vadodara on Wednesday, as it was declared one of NCP’s frontal organisations.

Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar’s daughter Supriya Sule’s brainchild, a youth wing for women, got a leg up at the party’s national executive meeting held in Vadodara on Wednesday, as it was declared one of NCP’s frontal organisations.

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The Rastrawadi Yuvati Congress, aimed at wooing women voters and providing women with a political platform, will now be on par with NCP’s youth wing. The RYC has been seen as a platform for Sule to play a larger role in state politics.

The party press release said: Supriya Sule has toured across the state and created a capable rung of young leadership. The RYC has been successful in expanding the base of the party.

However, this move has further fanned speculation of a rift within the party — between uncle Sharad Pawar and nephew Ajit. There is now talk that Sule’s elevation is to also keep the mercurial nephew in check.

Ajit was missing from the national conclave, with his uncle attributing his absence to “not well and running a temperature”. The former deputy chief minister, however, managed to make it to the NCP party office for his junta darbar on Thursday morning. “This is rumour mongering at its worse. Ajit Pawar was unwell, so he couldn’t make it. He was better today [Thursday] so he came to the NCP office,” said party spokesperson Nawab Malik.

Earlier this month, a political drama was played out after Ajit resigned from the state cabinet, threatening the stability of the government in Maharashtra.