Sharad Pawar steps down as NCP chief amid speculation of rift within the party
NCP leaders and workers, including some in tears, gathered around Pawar as he made the announcement and requested him to withdraw his decision
Former Union minister Sharad Pawar, 82, on Tuesday announced his decision to step down as the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief 24 years after he founded the party following his expulsion from Congress for opposing Sonia Gandhi’s candidacy for Prime Minister due to her foreign origins.
“I have three years left of Rajya Sabha membership...during which I will focus on issues related to Maharashtra and India, with a caveat of not taking any responsibility. After a long period of public life from May 1, 1960, to May 1, 2023, it is necessary to take a step back. Hence, I have decided to step down...,” said Pawar at an event in Mumbai.
NCP leaders and workers, including some in tears, gathered around Pawar as he made the announcement and requested him to withdraw his decision to step down.
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Pawar said it was time for a new generation to guide the party and the direction it intends to take. He recommended the formation of a committee, including former Union minister Praful Patel, former Maharashtra deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar, and Member of Parliament Supriya Sule, to decide on the election of his successor. “This committee will decide on the [NCP] president’s selection. It will continue to strive for the growth of the party organisation, to take the ideology and goals of the party to the people, and to serve the people, as they deem fit.”
Sharad Pawar’s announcement came against the backdrop of speculation about a rift within NCP. Ajit Pawar, who is Sharad Pawar’s nephew, late last month said he could become chief minister now and not in 2024, days after clarifying he would not leave the NCP till his last breath. The comments were seen as a signal to Sharad Pawar, who is believed to have rejected his suggestion of joining hands with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Ajit Pawar’s close aides are believed to be saying the BJP will offer him the chief minister’s post if the Supreme Court disqualifies Eknath Shinde and his lawmakers in its judgment on the Shiv Sena split last year.
He has been contradicting NCP as well as his Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi allies on issues and praising Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut wrote in his newspaper column that Sharad Pawar told him and former chief minister Uddhav Thackeray that some of his party colleagues were under pressure due to the central government’s investigating agencies but he had told them to take their own decision. This fuelled speculation that Ajit Pawar could split the party to join hands with the BJP.
Sharad Pawar on Tuesday said he was not retiring from public life. “I will continue to work round the clock to solve the people’s problems. The love and trust of the people is my breath. There will be no separation from me or public retirement.”