NCP silver jubilee celebrations be held on June 21

With a new team in place with clear-cut responsibilities, the Sharad Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) is set to celebrate its silver jubilee next week.

Pawar, a four-time Maharashtra Chief Minister and three-term union minister founded the NCP on June 10, 1999.

The NCP had planned to celebrate the 24th foundation day at Kedgaon in the Ahmednagar district of Maharashtra but postponed it in the wake of the Biporjoy cyclone build-up along the west coast of India.

However, on June 10 Pawar sprang a surprise when he appointed his daughter Supriya Sule and close aide Praful Patel as the Working Presidents. The next day, he appointed Raigad MP Sunil Tatkare as the Treasurer.

Tatkare is seen as one close to Pawar’s nephew Ajit Pawar, currently the Leader of Opposition in the Assembly and four-time former Deputy Chief Minister.

State NCP President Jayant Patil on Friday announced that the silver jubilee celebrations of the party would be held on June 21 at the Shanmukhananda Hall in King’s Circle.

This grand meeting comes close on the heels of the June 23 meeting of the Opposition parties to be held in Patna and to be attended by Pawar.