Pawar to bring in young blood to revive NCP (SP) after poll debacle

The decision was taken during the party’s national executive committee meeting held in New Delhi on Thursday

Mumbai: Looking to bounce back following a debacle in the Maharashtra assembly elections last year, the Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) leadership has decided to bring in young blood as part of a complete organisational overhaul.

New Delhi: NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar, right, and party leader Supriya Sule during the party’s ‘Extended National Working Committee Meeting’, in New Delhi, Thursday, March 27, 2025. (PTI Photo/Kamal Singh) (PTI03_27_2025_000223B) (PTI)

The process will begin with appointing young leaders—those aged between 40 and 50—as district presidents. The decision was taken during the party’s national executive committee meeting held in New Delhi on Thursday.

According to leaders present at the meeting, party chief Sharad Pawar said the NCP (SP) will stick to its core ideology but, at the same time, it will have to work harder to bounce back after winning just 10 seats out of the 86 it contested during last year’s assembly elections. The drubbing came as a shock to the party considering, just months earlier, it had performed admirably to win eight out of 10 seats during the 2024 general elections.

“An overhaul is required from top to bottom,” Pawar is said to have told the gathering. “It should begin by appointing young leaders as district presidents. They should be between 40 and 50 years of age.”

Pawar also asked leaders to focus on states where the party has the potential to grow. NCP (SP) working president Supriya Sule added that the party’s stand on issues of national significance needs to be clear. Giving the example of the proposed delimitation of Lok Sabha seats, which has sparked significant debate, she said, “There should be a detailed discussion on such issues, and the party’s stand should be clear.”