In a significant move aimed at reviving the party’s fortunes in its traditional strongholds, the Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar faction) has appointed Shashikant Shinde as its new Maharashtra state president. A low-key yet influential Maratha leader from Western Maharashtra, Shinde replaces Jayant Patil, the longest-serving state chief of the party.
Shinde, 61, is a Mathadi (porter) union leader from Satara and is widely seen as a non-controversial figure. After his appointment, he visited the Navi Mumbai Agricultural Produce Market Committee (APMC) union office, where he has long been a leader. “I paid my respects to the late (Mathadi union leader) Annasaheb Patil, who has guided me and showed me the way forward,” he said, according to the media reports.
Shinde assured supporters that he would work tirelessly to rejuvenate the party. “There is a huge political vacuum that needs to be filled by the Opposition. I am sure that the people of Maharashtra will come to us in large numbers if we stand strong as an organisation. It is a great honour that someone like me, who comes from a simple background, climbed up the political ladder and is now allowed to lead the party,” he said.
His appointment also puts to rest speculation that a member of the Pawar family would take over the reins in the state. It underlines Sharad Pawar’s intention to restructure the NCP (SP) and reclaim ground lost after the 2023 split, when a faction led by Ajit Pawar broke away.
Though Shinde had been seen as close to Ajit Pawar, serving as Minister of State for Water Resources from 2013 to 2014, he chose to remain loyal to Sharad Pawar during the party’s division.
A seasoned politician, Shinde has been a Member of the Legislative Council (MLC) since 2020. Before that, he was elected to the Assembly four times, twice from Jaoli (1999, 2004), and after delimitation, from Koregaon (2009, 2014). However, he lost the Koregaon seat in 2019 and again in 2024 to Mahesh Shinde of the Shiv Sena (then an undivided party).
In the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, Shinde contested from Satara but lost to the BJP’s Chhatrapati Udayanraje Bhosale by around 32,000 votes. He later attributed his loss to confusion caused by an Independent candidate, Gade, whose symbol resembled that of the NCP (SP). Gade secured 37,000 votes.
Shinde’s political journey hasn’t been without controversy. In 2021, after losing the Satara District Central Cooperative Bank election by just one vote, his supporters pelted stones at the party office in Satara. Shinde later described the incident as “a result of emotional outburst” and said he had apologised to Sharad Pawar for it.
In 2023, ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, Shinde faced allegations of misappropriation in the APMC he headed and the possibility of arrest. At a rally in Karad, he remained defiant. “I am not scared and will continue to fight. Let them arrest me. They are using all possible means to trouble me. This is the second revolution after Independence to keep democracy alive, and everyone of us should fight together,” he declared, as per the reports.
With only 10 MLAs in the 288-member Assembly, the NCP (SP) faces a daunting task in rebuilding its organisational strength. Shinde’s political future remains uncertain, as his MLC term is set to expire in August next year. Retaining that seat may prove difficult given the party’s reduced numbers.
Nevertheless, his elevation signals Sharad Pawar’s effort to rebuild from the grassroots, banking on experienced yet grounded leaders to reconnect with the party’s base in Western Maharashtra.
