With the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections due soon and the arrest of NCP minister and its Mumbai unit chief Nawab Malik throwing a setback to its communications wing, the party is now planning to appoint a working president for its unit in the state capital.
With party president Sharad Pawar not willing to seek Malik’s resignation following the latter’s arrest in a money laundering case, sources say that the party may appoint a working president for Mumbai instead of a full-time president.
Malik was arrested on February 23 under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) and is currently behind bars.
Insiders feel that his absence will not only hit them in the civic polls but will hamper the NCP’s communication as well as Malik was the key face of the party.
NCP leader and minister in the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government, Chhagan Bhujbal, who started his career as a corporator in the BMC, said, “Our party chief Sharad Pawar saheb and state chief Jayant Patil will take a call on the replacement.”
While Bhujbal is not keen to supervise the BMC elections in absence of Malik, sources in the NCP say that Rakhi Jadhav – the group leader of the NCP for Mumbai — could be considered for the post of working president. Jadhav is a three-time corporator from Ghatkopar and hails from Mahad.
Another name that is being considered is Narendra Rane, who once headed the Siddhivinayak Temple Trust.
