Who Is Jayant Patil, the New Legislative Party Leader of NCP?

Patil will have all constitutional rights till the next legislature party leader is elected, an NCP resolution said.

NCP Chief Sharad Pawar with Jayant Patil.

(Photo: PTI)

Maharashtra National Congress Party (NCP) President Jayant Patil has been appointed as the legislative leader of NCP, after the ouster of Ajit Pawar on Saturday, 23 November.

In the wake of Ajit Pawar joining forces with the BJP to form the state government in Maharashtra, the NCP removed him as its legislative party leader and replaced him with Patil on Saturday evening.

“Till the election of a new leader, Jayant Patil is given responsibilities of the post,” NCP leader Nawab Malik said on Saturday.

Patil will have all the constitutional rights till the next legislature party leader is elected, a resolution adopted by NCP’s legislature wing's meeting in Mumbai said, according to PTI.

Political Career

Patil, who hails from Sangli district, contested the recently concluded Maharashtra Assembly polls from the Islampur constituency. He won the constituency by defeating nearest independent candidate Nishikant Prakash Bhosale by 72,169 votes, according to the Election Commission of India.

A four-time MLA from the erstwhile Walva assembly seat since 1990, Patil switched to the newly-formed Islampur constituency following the merger of Walva in a delimitation exercise.

He has since been representing Islampur, a report by The Times of India said.

His father, Rajaram ‘Bapu’ Patil, was a renowned Maharashtra politician, according to reports.

According to Hindustan Times, Jayant Patil served as finance minister of Maharashtra from 1999 to 2008, and as home minister from 2008 to 2009 in the erstwhile Congress-led UPA government.

He has also served as the Minister for Rural Development from 2009 to 2014, reports said.

Patil holds an engineering degree from Mumbai’s Veermata Jijabai Technological Institute (VJTI).

(With inputs from Hindustan Times, TOI and DNA.)