MUMBAI, July 13 -- Eight months after the debacle in the Maharashtra assembly elections, the NCP (SP) is looking for a major leadership change. The party's state president Jayant Patil is on his way out, and party president Sharad Pawar is likely to select his successor on Tuesday. Former minister Shashikant Shinde is believed to be the top contender for the position while Rajesh Tope and Sunil Bhusara are also in the running. Confirming the move, (SP) spokesman Amol Matele said, "Our chief Sharad Pawar will decide on the name at our party's state executive committee meeting on July 15." The party leadership decided to replace Patil after he made it clear that he did not want to continue as state president. Patil, who was appointed as state chief in April 2018, will relinquish the position after more than seven years. Shinde, an MLC, comes from the politically significant Maratha community, which is considered the core voter base of the party. While replacing Patil, who is also a Maratha, with Shinde, the party leadership wants to send out a clear message that its priority lies with the Maratha community. The latter is a significant voter base for the local body elections scheduled in the next few months. Shinde tangentially corroborated the buzz by saying that it would be "an honour" for him if his name had come up during discussions on the post. "I will take any responsibility that the party assigns me," he said. Rebuilding the party and performing well in the upcoming local body polls will be a major challenge for Shinde, who also hails from the western Maharashtra region. Last year, he lost the Lok Sabha and state assembly elections from Satara and Kopargaon respectively. The party began looking for a replacement after Patil, an eight-term MLA, requested Sharad Pawar to let him step down subsequent to the NCP (SP)'s poor performance in the assembly elections. Of the 86 seats it contested, the party won only 10. Since then, a section of party leaders wanted Pawar to allow a new leader to take charge of the post. On June 10, Jayant Patil himself publicly requested Pawar to relieve him from his responsibilities, stating that the time had come to allow younger leaders to take charge. Speaking at the party's foundation day in Pune, which also marked 26 years of the NCP, Patil said, "Pawar Saheb gave me many opportunities, including the honour of serving as the state unit chief for seven years. But now, the party must give a chance to new faces. In front of all of you, I request Pawar Saheb to relieve me from my post." Patil is a senior leader from western Maharashtra's Sangli district and is among the second-rung leadership created by the NCP chief. He was elected as an MLA for the first time in 1990 and has been winning the Islampur constituency in every election since then. Although he is yet to respond to the speculation, Patil is reportedly more keen on focusing on his constituency. "In the last election, his victory margin for the first time went down to 13,207 votes, which perturbed him," said one of his close aides. "He is also looking to launch his son, Pratik, for which he wants to rebuild his position in Sangli."...