Former deputy chief minister Vijaysinh Mohite-Patil, who had been sidelined in the party for some time, breathed a sigh of relief when none other than Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) president Sharad Pawar suggested his name for the post of the president of the Maharashtra State Co-operative Sugar Factories Federation.
One of the top leaders of the NCP, Mohite-Patil was being sidelined since he was removed from the post of deputy chief minister.
There were rumours of Mohite-Patil, Gopinath Munde and Chagan Bhujbal coming together after the leaders had a meeting in Mumbai in 2008.
Mohite-Patil and Bhujbal were sidelined in the party after Bhujbal lost his post of deputy chief minister in the aftermath of Telgi video tapes.
Mohite-Patil was removed as deputy chief minister and RR Patil was handed over the charge. BJP leader Gopinath Munde had also resigned from all the party posts in April 2008 after his differences with the then legislative council leader Nitin Gadkari.
The three leaders had held a meeting in 2008, which raised speculations of new political equations.
However, with Pawar himself suggesting Mohite-Patil’s name for the post of president of sugar factories’ federation, things have taken a different turn.Party workers and leaders see it as a move by the NCP leadership to pacify him.
A leader quipped, “This is rehabilitation and the party leadership can not ignore a political heavyweight like Vijaydada.”
