After the Leader of Opposition and senior Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) member Ajit Pawar asked for more responsibility in the party cadre with political observers seeing it as an ambition for the state unit president post, his colleague Chhagan Bhujbal on Thursday said that the party’s state unit leadership should go to an Other Backward Classes (OBC) leader.
The party’s working president Supriya Sule said that, as sister, she wants his brother’s wishes to be fulfilled.
Addressing NCP workers in Mumbai at a meet attended by Sharad Pawar on Wednesday, Ajit said he was never interested to work as the Leader of the Opposition but accepted the role as per MLAs demand.
“Assign me any post in the party organisation and I will do complete justice to it,” Ajit had said.
Talking to reporters in Pune on Thursday, Sule said, “I also want that Ajit dada’s wishes to get fulfilled. The party will take the final decision. Our workers will be encouraged by giving more responsibilities to him. Whether he will be made the state chief or not depends on the party. But as a sister, I want my brother’s all wishes to come true.”
After Sule and Rajya Sabha MP Praful Patel were made the working presidents of the party during a recent rejig, there were speculations that Ajit Pawar, who was not given any party post, may be unhappy. Ajit, however, categorically denied those rumours which were revived after his latest statement.
Bhujbal said, “As the Opposition leader’s post is with the Maratha candidate, the state unit president’s post should go to an OBC candidate. There are many possible contenders like Sunil Tatkare, Jitendra Awhad, Dhananjay Munde and even I am ready to get the post.”
Bhujbal is among the seniormost leaders in the party and has held various posts in the past. “Many political parties, including the BJP and the Congress have handed the state unit chief’s positions to OBC candidates. NCP can also consider it,” he said.
While BJP’s state unit chief Chandrashekhar Bawankule is OBC face of the party, Maharashtra Pradesh Congress chief Nana Patole also belongs to the Other Backward Category.
