Nana Patole, who was appointed as the Maharashtra unit chief of the Congress on Friday, said he aims to restore the numero uno position of the party in the state.
Patole, who represents Sakoli Assembly constituency in Bhandara district, had resigned as Speaker of Maharashtra Assembly on Thursday. The Congress appointed him as the state unit president, replacing Balasaheb Thorat.
Talking to PTI after his appointment, Patole said, "I will live up to the faith and trust shown in me by my leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, and make Congress the number one party in the state again."
Patole, a four-time MLA, had briefly quit the Congress to join the BJP and had successfully contested the Bhandara- Gondia Lok Sabhaseat against NCP leader Praful Patel in 2014.
However, he had quit the BJP following differences.The Congress shares power with the Shiv Sena and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) in Maharashtra.