Clearing the air over his recent visit to the national capital, Maharashtra Congress president and minister Balasaheb Thorat on Tuesday stated that his Delhi visit has nothing to do with the change in Maharashtra Congress' leadership.
Speaking to ANI, Thorat, however, reiterated that if the party finds someone who can work for them, he is ready to resign as State Congress president.
Thorat, who was in Delhi on Monday, met senior party leaders in the absence of interim president Sonia Gandhi and MP Rahul Gandhi and reminded them of his request to relieve him of the charges three months ago. His argument was the party should make a decision soon to avoid media running stories about his removal.
Assembly Speaker Nana Patole, minister for Woman and Child Welfare Yashomati Thakur, Energy Minister Nitin Raut, Medical Education Minister Amit Deshmukh and former MP Rajani Patil are the frontrunners for the MPCC president post once Thorat steps down. Patole, Thakur and Raut hail from the Vidarbha region while Deshmukh and Patil are from Marathwada.
Patole is an OBC while Raut is from the Scheduled Caste. Thakur is Maratha Deshmukh while Amit Deshmukh, who is the son of the former CM and veteran Congress leader late Vilasrao Deshmukh, and Rajani Patil are from the politically influential Maratha community.
(With inputs from Sanjay Jog of FPJ)
