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Pawar to remain NCP chief to ‘honour party sentiments’
The surprise move, which unified the party around him, came after a fortnight of suspense and speculation about his nephew Ajit Pawar’s desire to ally with the BJP
Mumbai Three days after abruptly announcing his resignation amid buzz of some of his party men wanting to ally with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Sharad Pawar, 82, was back in charge of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) with the huge public outpouring of support for him from party leaders big and small (and even leaders of other political parties).
Pawar on Friday withdrew his decision to step down as NCP president after immense pressure from grassroots workers, effecting a dramatic turnaround just three days after announcing that he was stepping down after two decades at the helm of the party.
The surprise move, which unified the party around him, came after a fortnight of suspense and speculation about his nephew Ajit Pawar’s desire to ally with the BJP, along with several other senior NCP leaders.
Pawar’s announcement brought to a close, at least for some time, the churn that has engulfed his party in recent weeks. He also announced that he will be working on a succession plan and said, without naming anyone, that those in his party who wished to leave and join hands with BJP could not be stopped.
“I cannot disrespect the feelings of party workers. I am overwhelmed with the love, trust and faith showered on me. Considering the appeals made by all of you and honouring the decision of the committee constituted by the party, I am withdrawing my decision to retire,” said Pawar, reading out from a prepared statement at YB Chavan Centre in Mumbai on Friday. Ajit Pawar was conspicuous by his absence.
The announcement came hours after the NCP panel selected by him to pick his successor — it included Ajit Pawar — passed a resolution rejecting the resignation and insisting that he continue as party chief. Pawar, a former Maharashtra chief minister, also said that his daughter and Baramati MP Supriya Sule refused a suggestion to become the party’s working president, indicating that she, not Ajit Pawar, was seen as a natural successor to him. And those who wanted to go, could go, he seemed to suggest. “No leader in the NCP was interested in joining hands with the ruling BJP, but those who want to go, cannot be stopped.”
Pawar’s shock announcement on Tuesday, made at the Mumbai launch of his autobiography Lok Mazhe Sangati, left his party reeling, with many senior leaders breaking down while yet others clambering onto the dais entreating him not to quit. For over two hours, they would not let Pawar leave the stage.
Over the next four days, senior NCP leaders, some lawmakers who were reportedly chafing at the bit to align with the BJP, were all left pleading with Pawar to continue as their leader and mentor. Grown men wept, others swarmed around him begging him to reverse his decision, one of them wrote a letter in his blood, while another doused himself in kerosene, threatening self-harm if Pawar did not take back his resignation. As a show of strength, it was immaculate.
The committee to find his replacement, comprising 19 members, rejected the resignation. “Pawar expressed his desire to step down as president of the party. We unanimously reject the resignation. We have passed a resolution that we will request him to carry on as party president,” NCP vice president Praful Patel told reporters before leaving for the senior leader’s residence.
Ajit Pawar, a former deputy chief minister who had a short-lived dalliance with the BJP in 2019, released a statement later in the day welcoming his uncle’s decision.
“Sharad Pawar’s decision to continue as national president of NCP by agreeing to the request of all party leaders and workers across the state and country will boost the enthusiasm of every worker of the NCP including me,” he said in it.
Sharad Pawar, too, downplayed his nephew’s absence. “Not all people can be at all places,” he said, and asked the media not to read too much into his nephew not being present. “I had given a slight hint about my resignation to Ajit (Pawar), but did not tell anyone else sitting here,” he added.
Sharad Pawar said leaders from various political parties requested him to continue, and also spoke about a possible role on the national stage.
“Bringing all parties together is important when it comes to the elections. I enjoy personal relations with many who said that I was required for this. They include Rahul Gandhi, Sitaram Yechury and many more,” he added.
“Even though I am continuing in the post of president, I am of the clear opinion that there has to be a succession plan. In future, I will focus on making organisational changes in the party, assigning new responsibilities, and creating new leadership,” said Pawar.
He also clarified that his successor will not be decided by him alone. “It cannot be an individual decision.” New faces, he said, should be given bigger opportunities. “Those working for 10-15 years at the district level will be given state level responsibilities while those working at state level will get responsibilities at the national level,” he announced.
