“We’ll have to reclaim our past glory,” Sharad Pawar tells party workers

Pawar cited multiple instances of parties having bounced back following splits or setbacks and urged party workers to focus on the upcoming local body polls

Mumbai: Amid speculations of a thaw in relations between the Ajit Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and the NCP (SP) led by his uncle Sharad Pawar, the latter on Wednesday indirectly ruled out any such possibility, telling party workers that he was not willing to give up and urging them to “reclaim” their “past glory”. The senior Pawar cited multiple instances of parties having bounced back following splits or setbacks and urged party workers to focus on the upcoming local body polls.

NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar (PTI) (HT_PRINT)

“Do not harbour any confusion about us as we are going to stay where we are,” Pawar said on the first day of a two-day party conclave in Mumbai, as quoted by leaders who attended the event.

“NCP (SP) is once again prepared to face the electorate. Let’s focus on the upcoming local body elections,” he said, stressing that local body polls would be different from the assembly poll as issues like polarisation would not work there. “Local body polls are fought purely on local issues. So, if we focus on them from now on, we will bounce back,” he emphasised.

On the first day of the conclave, Pawar held meetings with all frontal organisations such as those working with youth, women and students, and tried to boost their morale.

“I am facing a situation similar to 1999, when I formed the NCP and had nothing to give to the workers. Now, despite several leaders having left us, I am willing to fight but need your support,” he is said to have told the gathering. “We will remain where we are and achieve our past glory,” he insisted.

The veteran leader also cited the Congress’ turnaround after a drubbing in the 1957 assembly polls despite the state being considered as the party’s bastion. “In the 1952 polls, Congress secured a one-sided victory. But within a period of four years, the situation changed owing to the Samyukt Maharashtra (a state along linguistic lines) movement and the party had to encounter the impact. After Maharashtra was formed in 1960, the Congress continued its victorious journey until now,” Pawar recalled.

The Congress was opposed to the idea of linguistic states as it feared a rupture in the national fabric.

Speaking about imminent changes in the leadership of frontal organisations, he said, “We will have to accept the challenge of making big changes at the organisational level. We have also decided to promote new and young faces and in the upcoming polls, 60% new and young faces will be given an opportunity to contest the polls.”

The party will hold its state executive meeting on the second and last day of the conclave on Thursday, when some key decisions are likely to be made.