Congress leaders from the state have been camping in New Delhi to find a suitable replacement for Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) chief Manikrao Thakre. Not only this, they are also lobbying for their respective political masters in the Union cabinet.
“The stakes for Maharashtra are high as everybody is waiting to see whether minister of state (independent charges) for science & technology Prithviraj Chavan and Union minister for heavy industries Vilasrao Deshmukh will get better portfolios,” said a senior AICC functionary.
Known as an able administrator, Deshmukh, sources indicated, could be considered for a more important portfolio like the ministries of commerce and industry or power provided Sushil Kumar Shinde is shifted out from the power department.
The NCP headquarters are also abuzz with discussions on whether the prime minister will seriously consider Sharad Pawar’s decision to divest the ministry of food and civil supplies to pave way for a third candidate or hand it over to a Congress candidate.
At home front, several state delegations met defence minister AK Anthony, who is in charge of Maharashtra affairs, seeking replacement of Thakre. Nobody in the Congress supports Thakre who is keen on a second tenure.
Deshmukh and Rane are working to thwart the chances of chief minister Ashok Chavan’s candidate Avinash Pande. On the other hand, the Chavan camp is against Deshmukh supporters Ulhas Pawar and Jayant Howale. The name of senior Congress (MP) Eknath Gaikwad is also in the reckoning for the MPCC post. He is perceived as a neutral candidate.
New Delhi has been witness to a race to find a replacement for Mumbai Regional Congress Committee (MRCC) chief Kripashanker Singh. Chandrakant Handore and Madhu Chavan are in the forefront for the post.
