Jayant Patil resigns as Maha NCP-SP chief

Former minister Shashikant Shinde was on Monday appointed as the new Maharashtra unit president of Sharad Pawar led NCP (SP).

- Faisal Malik

He replaced senior leader Jayant Patil who held the position for over seven years. The decision was taken in the state executive committee meeting of the party called to decide the new chief of the state.

The change in the party leadership has come ahead of the crucial local body elections scheduled in the next few months. Once a Mathadi (head-loaders) union leader, Shinde faces an uphill task to revive the

party from the crushing defeat it faced in the state assembly elections in November last year.