Nagpur: With the exit of Praful Patel, the stature of former Home Minister Anil Deshmukh in Vidarbha as Nationalist Congress Party (Sharad Pawar) leader is increasing. Deshmukh has been given the responsibility of six districts in Vidarbha.
After the Ajit Pawar faction parted away, the Sharad Pawar-led NCP is trying hard to strengthen the party in Maharashtra. In the last two years, NCP is focusing more on Vidarbha, the region which it ignored for the past several years. After the split in the party, both groups continued to give special attention to Vidarbha.
Today’s Rate
Tuesday 05 Nov. 2024
As Ajit Pawar asked Praful Patel to lead Vidarbha, the senior Pawar group kept faith in Anil Deshmukh. The void has given Deshmukh an opportunity to grow. In political circles, it is whispered that Deshmukh is focusing only on Katol and hardly tried for the growth of the party in Nagpur. Party has given him the responsibility of Akola, Amravati, Washim, Wardha, Chandrapur and Nagpur.
Since no senior leader of Vidarbha is with the party in Vidarbha, State President of the Party Jayant Patil has to rope in the leaders from Western Maharashtra and Marathwada to look after the districts in this part of State. Along with his home constituency, Jalgaon, Dhule, Nandurbar, Eknath Khadse has been entrusted the responsibility of Buldhana.
Similarly, the NCP faction led by Sharad Pawar has appointed MLA Rohit Pawar as in charge for the Bhandara-Gondia constituency, the stronghold of party founder Praful Patel, who is now with the faction aligned with BJP.
Political analysts see it as a deliberate attempt to send the young legislator to fight the might of Patel, who joined the rebel camp led by Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar to join the BJP-Shiv Sena government. Patel has won the seat four times in 1991, 1996, 1998 and again in 2009, before being defeated by current MPCC President Nana Patole, who had fought on the BJP ticket. Patel made a mark in the constituency and nurtured it when he was Minister of State for Civil Aviation, including starting a pilot training academy at Birsi airport.
NCP has smartly given the responsibility of Gadchiroli district to Sunil Bhusara who is not from Vidarbha but represents another tribal district Palghar.
