Former minister Jayant Patil new chief of Maharashtra NCP

Former Maharashtra home minister Jayant Patil was today elected as the new president of the state Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) unit, ahead of the 2019 state and Lok Sabha polls.

He replaced incumbent Sunil Tatkare.

Patil's name was announced at the NCP working committee meeting held at the residence of the party supremo Sharad Pawar here as part of the party's internal polls.

Besides Patil, names of former Maharashtra assembly speaker Dilip Walse Patil, Leader of Opposition in the Legislative Council Dhananjay Munde, Shashikant Shinde were doing rounds ahead of the crucial meeting.

Patil, a trusted lieutenant of Pawar, was elected unanimously.

His name was formally announced by Walse Patil who worked as the election officer at the meeting.

Patil had served as finance minister of the state from October 17, 1999 to December 6, 2008, and as home minister from December 8, 2008 to November 9, 2009 in the erstwhile Congress-led UPA government.

He has been representing Islampur constituency in Sangli district of western Maharashtra since 1990.

Unlikely the outgoing state unit chief Sunil Tatkare, who has been facing allegations in an irrigation scam under his watch as a minister in the UPA government, Patil is known for his clean image.

Tatkare, a former Water Resources Minister, became president of the state NCP unit in June 2014.