Maharashtra Assembly Speaker Nana Patole resigns

Maharashtra Legislative AssemblySpeaker Nana Patole, tipped to be the next chief of the stateunit of the Congress, resigned from his post on Thursday.

Legislature sources said Patole handed over hisresignation to deputy speaker Narhari Zhirwal.

Patole, the MLA from Sakoli in Bhandara district, islikely to replace revenue minister Balasaheb Thorat as stateCongress president soon, according to party sources.

The Congress shares power with the Shiv Sena andNationalist Congress Party in Maharashtra.

A delegation of Congress ministers, headed by Thorat,had recently met the party leadership in Delhi.

The budget session of the state legislature is tobegin from March 1.