Mumbai, Feb 5 (PTI) Maharashtra Revenue Minister Balasaheb Thorat on Friday congratulated Nana Patole for taking over from him as the state unit chief and said he had expressed several times to the party that he be relieved of the dual responsibilities.

Patole, 57, a four-time MLA currently representing Sakoli seat in Bhandara district, had resigned as Speaker of Maharashtra Assembly on Thursday, and was made state unit chief on Friday.

"I was given the responsibility as the president of the state Congress just ahead of the 2019 assembly polls. Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi put their trust in me. Despite endless difficulties, Congress leaders and party workers in Maharashtra stood by me," he said.

"We fought united and consistently against the bigoted communal forces. After coming to power in Maharashtra, I was constantly expressing to the All India Congress Committee that the party should hand over the responsibility of the state party president to a new person," he added.

He said the party organisation would work "full time and at full speed" with the new chief to ensure the party continues to be the voice of the common man.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)