Sunetra Pawar set to take over as NCP chief, says Praful Patel; skirts merger talk | India News
New Delhi: Senior Dr Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Praful Patel on Friday said the party’s immediate focus was to consolidate its organization and rally behind Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Sunetra Pawar, who is set to take over as NCP national president in the coming fortnight after the death of Ajit Pawar.Patel said Sunetra Pawar is the only candidate for the post and will formally take over as the party chief after the internal process is over. “Our priority is to stand together, rally behind Sunetra Power and complete the organizational process. We will also focus on strengthening the party’s base in the state in the coming days,” he said, according to news agency PTI.
The NCP working president declined to comment on speculation about a possible merger between the party and the Nationalist Congress Party (SP), saying the focus was on organizational consolidation rather than political restructuring.Patel said the focus was on restructuring the party structure in the local body elections citing a strong showing in Pune Zilla Parishad and gains in other Zilla Parishads including Kolhapur as well as success in several panchayat samiti.NCP (SP) Lok Sabha MP Supriya Sule said in New Delhi that merger talks with Ajit Pawar were underway before his sudden death, but added that there was no point in pursuing the matter now.Patel and Sunetra Pawar recently met Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Vice President CP Radhakrishnan, fueling political speculation, though party leaders insisted their immediate priority was to maintain organizational stability.
