With the Congress having struck first by installing a Maratha Chief Minister to balance its influence over the dominant community in Maharashtra, it is the turn of NCP chief Sharad Pawar to name his new state president with an eye on the Congress support-base.Sources in the NCP disclosed today that the party has resolved to restrict its choice for the state unit presidentship (after Deputy CM R.R. Patil put in his papers) to three sections — outsiders, OBCs and Dalits — which support the Congress in large numbers. The sources added that former speaker Arun Gujarati has emerged as a frontrunner for the job. Gujarati lost the polls from Chopda. As the name implies, he belongs to the influential Gujarati community. The Gujaratis are an important section amongst the ‘‘outsiders’’ who have made Maharashtra their permanent home. Wary of the mee Mumbaikar slogan of the Sena, they rallied round the Congress in recent polls. By nominating an ‘‘outsider’’ for the top party-post, Pawar would try to expand his influence in Mumbai and other urban centres. He has convened a meeting of senior party leaders here tomorrow to formulate future strategy.The NCP is also to select its nominees for the post of Speaker and for ministerial berths in the Vilasrao Deshmukh government. The three leaders whose names are under consideration for the speakership are Dilip Valse-Patil, Babasaheb Kupekar and Suresh Jain.
