Goa, Apr 14 (PTI): Several senior leaders of Goa NCP have resigned en-mass to protest against the appointment of the new State unit President, prompting the party high command to put the selection on hold.

Local unit's three Vice-Presidents and General Secretaries each, head of of OBC Cell and district-level office-bearers yesterday submitted their resignations from the primary membership, hours after NCP President Sharad Pawar named Suhas Volvoikar as the State party chief.

They termed the appointment of Volvoikar, an advocate, a "disgrace" to the party, which was part of the previous Congress-led ruling coalition.

The Goa NCP was without a chief after former Minister Nilkant Halarnkar resigned from the post last month.

Following the revolt, the national leadership of the party initiated a damage-control exercise. General Secretary Praful Patel put on hold Volvoikar's appointment and started talks with the faction opposing his selection.

"The decision of appointing Adv Suhas Volvoikar as the Goa unit President has come as a disgrace to the party. He has never worked for the party or known to the people of Goa.

"His credentials are in serious doubts, which will be clear to everyone in the days to come," says the common resignation letter signed by 17 NCP functionaries.

One of them, Jose Philip D'Souza, senior Vice-President, told reporters today that Patel spoke to him on phone and said Volvoikar's appointment has been put on hold.

"We want someone from the existing executive committee to be appointed as President. Volvoikar is an outsider," said D'Souza, a former Revenue Minister.

NCP currently has no MLA in Goa.