Speaker's post in Maha: Thopte, Warpudkar could be in contention

The names of Congress MLAs SangramThopte and Suresh Warpudkar are doing rounds for theMaharashtra Assembly Speakers post though the party has notdiscussed the issue yet, sources said on Friday.The post fell vacant a month before the coming budgetsession as incumbent Nana Patole resigned and took over asstate Congress chief on Thursday.The Speakers post is with the Congress which sharespower in Maharashtra with the Shiv Sena and NCP.The names of Sangram Thopte MLA from Bhorand SureshWarpudkar MLA from Pathri are doing rounds as Patolespossible successor, Congress sources said.There has been no discussion within the party orwithin the alliance.

The names of Congress MLAs SangramThopte and Suresh Warpudkar are doing rounds for theMaharashtra Assembly Speaker's post though the party has notdiscussed the issue yet, sources said on Friday.

The post fell vacant a month before the coming budgetsession as incumbent Nana Patole resigned and took over asstate Congress chief on Thursday.

The Speaker's post is with the Congress which sharespower in Maharashtra with the Shiv Sena and NCP.

The names of Sangram Thopte (MLA from Bhor)and SureshWarpudkar (MLA from Pathri) are doing rounds as Patole'spossible successor, Congress sources said.

''There has been no discussion within the party orwithin the alliance. The party is not in a hurry. Thelegislature session begins from March 1,'' a party leader said.

''Thopte is among front-runners. He was to get acabinet berth when the government was formed, but it did nothappen. There is no cabinet minister from Western Maharashtrafrom the Congress,'' the leader said.

Vishwajit Kadam and Satej Patil, two Congressministers from the region, are ministers of state, he pointedout, saying that the party needed to fix this lacunae.

Warpudkar is the party's whip in the Assembly.

A media report had said that the Congress hadexpressed willingness to cede the Speaker's post to the ShivSena if it was given the deputy chief minister's post.

NCP leader and deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar,however, had denied that there was any such proposal.