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The ruling Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) in Maharashtra will carry out a major organisational shake-up by bringing in new faces in the run-up to the 288-member Maharashtra Legislative Assembly polls slated for September-October.
The party, which won a mere four out of the 21 seats it contested in the general elections, will soon appoint Maharashtra's Minister for Water Resources Sunil Tatkare as state unit president by replacing the present incumbent Bhaskar Jadhav.
"Tatkare's announcement is just a formality. He will soon take over as the state unit chief. During his meeting with party ministers held on Sunday, supremo Sharad Pawar had already asked Tatkare to be prepared to take up a new job in the party ahead of the Assembly poll," a senior NCP leader told Business Standard.
Tatkare faces a huge challenge to change the NCP's image of being a "Maratha-dominated party" and the party with maximum ministers facing corruption charges.
Tatkare, who was defeated by Shiv Sena nominee Anant Gite by a thin margin, has been picked up by Pawar as he hails from the Other Backward Class (OBC) Gavli community. Besides, he is a good orator and organisation man. Tatkare, who comes from Raigad district, changed loyalty to Pawar after he ditched his mentor and veteran Congress leader A R Antulay about 15 years ago. Thereafter, Tatkare built up NCP in Raigad district, which used to be the bastion of the left wing Peasants & Workers Party.
Tatkare's name has been considered especially since he received a clean chit from the special investigation team (SIT) in its report on the alleged multi-crore irrigation scam. Apart from Tatkare, Ajit Pawar, who was water resources minister during 1999 & 2001, was also absolved, as were former water resources minister Mahadev Shivankar and Eknath Khadse.
However, opposition parties might get an opportunity to take on NCP if Tatkare becomes the new state unit chief. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in particular, has threatened to approach the courts for the SIT's clean chit to Ajit Pawar and Tatkare in the alleged irrigation scam.
Incidentally, NCP had also considered state public works minister Chhagan Bhujbal as well as state home minister R R Patil to head the state unit. Bhujbal, also an OBC, had headed the party after it was formed in 1999. However, his strong objection against NCP's support to provide 20 per cent reservation to Marathas in education and jobs went against him. As for R R Patil, while he too had led the state unit in the past, he faces a challenge from BJP in his Tasgaon Assembly constituency in Sangli district.
Besides Tatkare's appointment, the Bhaskar Jadhav-led jumbo state executive would be dissolved and a new body would be formed, providing adequate representation to youth, women and professionals, apart from various communities.
NCP's move to reshuffle its organisation comes at a time when the party has taken a hard stand of getting more seats from the Congress during seat-sharing talks for the Assembly election. At the same time, NCP has indicated that it was also exploring an option of going solo in the Assembly poll.
