The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) is expected to meet in Mumbai on Wednesday for an organisational revamp that includes a change in its Maharashtra president ahead of the Assembly polls in October. NCP chief Sharad Pawar and former Union Minister Praful Patel are expected to address the meeting. Water Resources Minister Sunil Tatkare is tipped to replace Bhaskar Jadhav as the party chief. He is a close aide of Irrigation Minister Ajit Pawar. Two other leaders, Home Minister R.R. Patil and Public Works Minister Chhagan Bhujbal were also being considered for the post, but neither was said to be interested.
Mr. Tatkare had lost the Lok Sabha polls from the Konkan region. The Minister had earlier faced allegations of land-grab and of acquiring disproportionate assets for himself and his family through front companies. A large section of the party has been pushing the leadership to contest on its own in the Assembly election.
