Maharashtra Congress Appoints Harshwardhan Sapkal as New President After Assembly Election Debacle
Congress replaces Maharashtra chief after poor performance in polls NEW DELHI: After the Congress’ poor performance in the recent Assembly elections, the party has replaced its president in the state. A veteran Congress leader and Rahul Gandhi’s close aide Harshwardhan Sapkal has been appointed as the new president of the Maharashtra Congress unit. Sapkal, who was the in-charge of the Gujarat Congress unit, will take charge of the Maharashtra unit. The decision follows Nana Patole’s resignation as the outgoing president of the party after he took moral responsibility for the party’s poor performance in the elections. Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge announced the change on Thursday.
Sapkal, 57, is one of the most experienced leaders in the Congress organization. A former MLA from Buldhana, he has been a part of the party machinery for decades. He is the national president of Rajiv Gandhi Panchayati Raj Sangathan, which works to improve local self-government. He was secretary in the AICC and has played a key role in party operations in states like Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh. His appointment is seen as an attempt to reinvigorate the party structure and reach out to grassroots workers and voters.
Who is Harshwardhan Sapkal?
Sapkal’s appointment is a crucial one for the Congress in Maharashtra. The party had one of its worst results in the state’s history in the recent Assembly elections, winning just 16 out of 103 seats. Its performance was part of a thumping defeat for the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance, of which the Congress is a member, of Shiv Sena (UBT) and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP). The ruling Mahayuti alliance of the BJP, Shiv Sena (Eknath Shinde faction) and NCP (Ajit Pawar faction) crushed the opposition, leaving the Congress in a precarious position.
Nana Patole, who was in charge of Maharashtra Congress since 2021, resigned in November after the party’s poor performance. The Congress revived under Patole, especially in 2024 Lok Sabha elections when the party won 13 seats in Maharashtra, but it fared worse in Assembly elections. Patole won Sakoli by just 208 votes, reflecting the party’s problems in the state. His resignation was seen as responsible and was accepted by the party’s high command. Sapkal was appointed as the new chief.
Sapkal faces a mammoth task in Maharashtra. The Congress is mired in internal strife, lacks strong local leadership and finds itself at a disadvantage in the face of the BJP’s spreading tentacles. Most senior Congress leaders — Balasaheb Thorat, Prithviraj Chavan, Vijay Wadettiwar, Yashomati Thakur and Manikrao Thakre — lost elections to the Assembly, highlighting the party’s disconnect with the voters. Sapkal will have to rebuild the party structure, coalesce leaders and create a narrative that is compelling enough to counter the ruling alliance.
Sapkal’s closeness to Rahul Gandhi could be both a strength and a liability. His proximity to the Gandhi family could help him win support from the party’s central leadership, but opponents could accuse the Congress of being too wedded to the Gandhi-Nehru legacy. Sapkal will need to make sure he uses his connections, but also demonstrates his own leadership capabilities.
