Senior Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) stalwart Praful Patel announced his resignation from the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday, departing nearly four years prior to the conclusion of his current tenure.
Recently elected unopposed to the upper house during the biennial elections in Maharashtra, Patel is poised to commence a fresh six-year term come April.
Despite his incumbent status as a sitting Rajya Sabha member, Patel's surprising nomination by the NCP led to his declaration of intent to vacate his current seat, acquired in July 2022, upon securing election this time around.
Citing "technical issues" as the impetus for his decision, Patel alluded to the ongoing political complexities surrounding the NCP-Sharad Pawar faction, compounded by a disqualification petition filed following the vertical split in July 2023.
An official notification from the Rajya Sabha released this evening confirmed Patel's resignation, effective February 27, 2024, following its acceptance by the Chairman of the Rajya Sabha.
NCP President and Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra, Ajit Pawar, clarified that Patel's vacated seat would be allocated to their party.
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