Supriya Sule, Praful Patel both are NCP’s new working presidents

Sharad Pawar had announced his resignation last month, but was forced to withdraw it

A month after his resignation created a stir, Nationalist Congress Party boss Sharad Pawar announced the next line of leadership, nominating his daughter Supriya Sule and trusted colleague Praful Patel as the national working presidents of the party.

Sule and Patel, both MPs, have been given state-wise responsibility. While Sule was given Maharashtra, along with Punjab and Haryana, women, youth and students frontal organisation and Lok Sabha elections, Patel will look after Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Goa.

The announcement was made on the occasion of the NCP's foundation day, and the party executive met to endorse the new appointments. Pawar's nephew Ajit, who is the Opposition leader in the Assembly and the legislative party leader, had said earlier that he did not wish to hold any organisational position and would concentrate on the legislative responsibilities.

Internal matters of the NCP came into focus last month, when Pawar senior had indicated that his party needed a overhaul. He quit a couple of days after this statement, sending shockwaves through the rank and file. It took three days of protests and convincing to make him withdraw his decision. He did, but at the same time also accepted a suggestion that he should have a working president to share the workload.

Notwithstanding rumours that his uncle had cut him to size by keeping the leadership with his daughter, who is now in-charge of Maharashtra, Ajit welcomed the decision, saying that the party would do even better under the newly-appointed leaders.

Till date, Ajit was tasked with politics in Maharashtra, while Supriya played a role in Delhi. In her new role, Supriya will have direct and official control of the party in Maharashtra, where it has much at stake. Pawar senior, however, maintained that Ajit was not given any new responsibility in keeping with the "one person one post" policy, as he already had one in the Maharashtra legislature.