Jayant Patil, the Maharashtra state president of the NCP (Sharad Pawar) faction, has resigned from his post on Saturday. The timing of his resignation coincides with the impending local body elections in Maharashtra, including the highly significant Mumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections. Patil’s tenure as the party’s state president spanned seven years.
Patil explained that he had himself requested the party leadership to allow him to step down, facilitating the appointment of new leadership. Reports suggest that Shasikant Shinde is being considered as the next state president, with a final decision anticipated at the NCP (Sharad Pawar) executive committee meeting scheduled for Tuesday.
The BMC elections are anticipated to be fiercely contested, with a direct contest anticipated between the BJP, the Shinde Sena, and the Ajit Pawar-led NCP, and the Congress, the Shiv Sena faction under Uddhav Thackeray’s leadership, and the NCP (Sharad Pawar). The BMC elections are regarded as a prestige battle, promising intense competition. The stance of Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray regarding his participation in the elections remains uncertain.
The NCP experienced a significant division in June 2023, when Ajit Pawar, the nephew of Sharad Pawar, along with 40 MLAs, separated from the party. Recent political discussions in Maharashtra have centered around the possibility of Sharad Pawar and Ajit Pawar joining forces once more.
These speculations were fueled by the multiple meetings between Sharad Pawar and Ajit Pawar in the past few months. Adding to the complexity, recent events, such as the collaboration between former Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray, point towards shifting political alliances within Maharashtra.