Panaji

The NCP in Goa will soon get a new chief with its central leadership considering a few names for the post which fell vacant last month, party sources said here.

NCP General Secretary and Union Minister Praful Patel will visit the state, where the Sharad Pawar-led party shares power with Congress, later this week to hold discussions with the local leaders on the issue, they said.

The party's state unit is without a President after Wilfred D'Souza, along with 30-odd executive members, quit the party on the eve of its foundation day on June 10.

The 77-year-old former CM had challenged the existence of the NCP, saying the party was formed on the issue of Sonia Gandhi's foreign origin, which has now become a non-issue.

As the party hunts for a new state chief, names of former Minister Sangita Parab and Congressman-turned-NCP leader Jitendra Deshprabhu are among the probables for the post.

"I will go by what my leaders decide," Deshprabhu said, when asked about his prospects of being appointed to the coveted post.