<p>Half a dozen high-profile leaders have emerged as frontrunners for the post of president of Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC).</p>.<p>The Congress high command has sent the All India Congress Committee (AICC) in-charge of Maharashtra H K Patil to hold consultations with the state leadership.</p>.<p>MPCC president Balasaheb Thorat, who is the state’s revenue minister, has expressed his desire to step down. Patil has met two former chief ministers – Prithviraj Chavan and Ashok Chavan, who is now the state’s public works minister.</p>.<p>The frontrunners to the post are Nana Patole, Amit Deshmukh, Yashomati Thakur, Rajani Patil, Vijay Wadettiwar, Rajiv Satav and Vishwajeet Kadam.</p>.<p>Patole is currently the speaker of the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly and a firebrand leader. In fact, when he was a BJP MP, he was the first to revolt against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and left the saffron party and join Congress. In the last Lok Sabha polls, Patole, who is from the OBC -- Kunbi Maratha community -- however, lost to BJP heavyweight Nitin Gadkari from Nagpur.</p>.<p>Deshmukh, who is the state’s medical education and cultural affairs minister, is the son of late Congressman Vilasrao Deshmukh, who was a two-time Maharashtra Chief Minister and a union minister in the Dr Manmohan Singh-led UPA government.</p>.<p>Thakur is a firebrand and outspoken women’s leader and is currently the state’s child and women development minister.</p>.<p>Patil is a former Rajya Sabha MP and had represented India at the 49th session of the UN Commission on the status of women at the UN headquarters in New York.</p>.<p>Dr Raut is the state’s energy minister and also heads the Congress’ SC Department.</p>.<p>Satav, a Rajya Sabha member, is close to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi.</p>.<p>“With crucial corporation elections to be held in 2021-22 when the majority of the big corporations would go to polls, the Congress high command would have to do a balancing act in appointing the new chief,” Congress sources said.</p>
<p>Half a dozen high-profile leaders have emerged as frontrunners for the post of president of Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC).</p>.<p>The Congress high command has sent the All India Congress Committee (AICC) in-charge of Maharashtra H K Patil to hold consultations with the state leadership.</p>.<p>MPCC president Balasaheb Thorat, who is the state’s revenue minister, has expressed his desire to step down. Patil has met two former chief ministers – Prithviraj Chavan and Ashok Chavan, who is now the state’s public works minister.</p>.<p>The frontrunners to the post are Nana Patole, Amit Deshmukh, Yashomati Thakur, Rajani Patil, Vijay Wadettiwar, Rajiv Satav and Vishwajeet Kadam.</p>.<p>Patole is currently the speaker of the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly and a firebrand leader. In fact, when he was a BJP MP, he was the first to revolt against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and left the saffron party and join Congress. In the last Lok Sabha polls, Patole, who is from the OBC -- Kunbi Maratha community -- however, lost to BJP heavyweight Nitin Gadkari from Nagpur.</p>.<p>Deshmukh, who is the state’s medical education and cultural affairs minister, is the son of late Congressman Vilasrao Deshmukh, who was a two-time Maharashtra Chief Minister and a union minister in the Dr Manmohan Singh-led UPA government.</p>.<p>Thakur is a firebrand and outspoken women’s leader and is currently the state’s child and women development minister.</p>.<p>Patil is a former Rajya Sabha MP and had represented India at the 49th session of the UN Commission on the status of women at the UN headquarters in New York.</p>.<p>Dr Raut is the state’s energy minister and also heads the Congress’ SC Department.</p>.<p>Satav, a Rajya Sabha member, is close to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi.</p>.<p>“With crucial corporation elections to be held in 2021-22 when the majority of the big corporations would go to polls, the Congress high command would have to do a balancing act in appointing the new chief,” Congress sources said.</p>
