Congress Appoints Harshwardhan Sapkal as Maharashtra President; Vijay Wadettiwar as Legislature Party Leader
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Synopsis
On February 13, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge appointed Harshwardhan Sapkal to lead the Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee, succeeding Nana Patole, following Patole's resignation. Vijay Wadettiwar was also named the leader of the Congress Legislature Party.
Key Takeaways
- Harshwardhan Sapkal replaces Nana Patole as the Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee president.
- Sapkal previously represented the Buldhana constituency in the state assembly.
- Vijay Wadettiwar appointed as the leader of the Congress Legislature Party.
- Congress aims to revitalize its presence ahead of local elections.
- Internal factionalism continues to challenge the party's unity.
Mumbai, Feb 13 (NationPress) Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge announced the appointment of former legislator Harshwardhan Sapkal as the new president of the Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee, succeeding Nana Patole. This change follows Patole's recent resignation from the party's high command.
Sapkal was elected to the state assembly during the 2014 Assembly elections from the Buldhana constituency and previously served as the head of the Buldhana Zilla Parishad.
The Congress party's central leadership has once again chosen a leader from Vidarbha after Patole's term. Historically, Vidarbha has been a stronghold for the Congress party, but since 2014, the BJP has significantly increased its influence in the region. Notably, Sapkal belongs to the Maratha community.
By appointing Sapkal, the party aims to rejuvenate its presence ahead of upcoming local and civic body elections in Maharashtra, expected to occur after the monsoon. In recent Lok Sabha elections, Congress performed well in Vidarbha and Maharashtra, securing a total of 13 seats, but struggled to maintain this momentum in the Assembly elections.
Sapkal now faces the crucial task of revitalizing the party organization and restoring its former prestige by uniting various factions to challenge the BJP-led MahaYuti.
Sapkal's appointment comes approximately two and a half months after Congress's disappointing performance in the Maharashtra Assembly elections held last year, where the party, under Patole's leadership, managed to win only 16 seats.
Although Congress remains a significant player, negotiations for seat sharing with allies Shiv Sena-UBT and NCP-SP were prolonged while the MahaYuti alliance partners BJP, Shiv Sena, and NCP progressed with their campaign.
The party has been grappling with internal factionalism, and the widening divide between veteran leaders and younger representatives has adversely affected its performance in the Assembly elections.
Despite the party's lackluster results, the central leadership retained Patole as leader while the party struggles to cope with losses, especially following the defeats of prominent figures such as former Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan and former Minister Balasaheb Thorat.
In addition to Sapkal, former leaders Prithviraj Chavan and Satej Patil were considered for the MPCC president role, but both declined the opportunity.
Meanwhile, the Congress high command has appointed veteran party figure and former leader of the opposition, Vijay Wadettiwar, as the leader of the Congress Legislature Party.
Wadettiwar has previously served as the leader of the opposition in the state twice and was a minister in the Shiv Sena-led Maha Vikas Aghadi government. His appointment comes ahead of the state legislature's Budget session, scheduled to commence on March 3 in Mumbai. Wadettiwar hails from the OBC community.
Although Patole expressed interest in leading the legislature party, his name was not considered to avoid discontent among elected officials.
To address ongoing protests related to Maratha and OBC reservation, Congress aims to balance representation by appointing a Maratha leader as the state unit chief and an OBC leader to oversee the state legislature party.
