A day after Sharad Pawar, the leader of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), announced his intention to quit as the party’s president, NCP MLA Jitendra Awhad on Wednesday tendered his resignation from his position as the party’s general secretary.
“I have informed Sharad Pawar Saheb of my resignation from the position of National General Secretary. After Pawar Saheb’s statement, all of Thane NCP’s office holders also submitted their resignations, Jitendra Awhad informed ANI. Thousands of NCP officials, employees, and fans expressed their emotions in response to Pawar’s sudden resignation announcement on Tuesday and pleaded with him to reconsider.
Chhagan Bhujbal, Jitendra Awhad, and Dilip Walse Patil were among of those who pleaded with Pawar to change his mind.
Pawar, a former chief minister of Maharashtra and a federal minister, was seen as a major architect of efforts to bring the opposition together before the election of 2024.
Pawar’s nephew Ajit Pawar subsequently clarified that the NCP veteran would need two to three days to alter his mind after first claiming that “Pawar Saheb himself had said about the necessity of change in guard a few days ago.”
The NCP was established in 1999 by Sharad Pawar, who has served as party leader for the previous 24 years.
The seasoned politician announced his choice to not run for office and suggested the formation of a committee made up of top NCP officials to determine the next steps.
Praful Patel, Sunil Tatkare, PC Chacko, Narhari Zirwal, Ajit Pawar, Supriya Sule, Jayant Patil, Chhagan Bhujabl, Dilip Walse-Patil, Anil Deshmukh, Rajesh Tope, Jitendra Awhad, Hasan Mushrif, Dhananjay Munde, and Jaydev Gaikwad would all be members of the committee, he added.
“I still have three years left on my Rajya Sabha term. From now on, I won’t run for office. I will focus more on problems affecting the state and the nation during the next three years. I won’t accept any further obligations. My political career began on May 1st, 1960. May Day was observed yesterday. One must consider quitting someplace after such a drawn-out political career. Gluttony is not acceptable. After all these years, I will never adopt the stance of adhering to a perspective. Thus, you might experience unease. However, I’ve made the decision to leave my position as NCP leader, said Pawar.
After the publication of his autobiography, Pawar stated that it was time for the party and the course it intended to take to be led by a new generation.
The NCP leader, however, said that even after leaving his position as party leader, he would not withdraw from public life.
“Even though I’m leaving my position as president, I’m still going to be active in society. My life has evolved to include frequent travel. I’ll keep going to public gatherings and events. I shall be accessible to all of you as normal, whether you are in Delhi, Mumbai, Baramati, Pune, or any other region in India. I’ll keep working around the clock to find solutions for the issues facing the populace, he said.
Sharad Pawar, a prominent NCP politician, announced his retirement as party president shortly after, and Ajit Pawar endorsed the move by indicating that Sharad Pawar alone will be the future party leader.
“The NCP family will always be led by Pawar Saheb (Sharad Pawar).” Sharad Pawar’s supporters who were protesting his decision and demanding him to reverse it were addressed by Ajit Pawar. “Whoever will be the new President will work only under Pawar Saheb’s guidance,” Ajit Pawar said.
Sharad Pawar was, however, pressured to reverse his choice by party members and leaders.
Ajit Pawar urged the party officials and leaders not to lose their composure.
“Pawar Saheb himself had mentioned the need for a guard change a few days before. We should consider his choice in light of his age and state of health as well. Pawar Saheb has made a choice and won’t change his mind. Everyone must make decisions according to time.
The candidates for the committee Sharad Pawar proposed to pick the future party president are “not from outside, but are from within the NCP family itself,” according to Ajit Pawar.
Supriya Sule, a daughter of Ajit and Sharad Pawar, and other party officials spoke with the protesting party members.
Ajit Pawar advised the protesting employees to return home while assuring them that Sharad Pawar will speak with the influential figures.
Later, he claimed that they informed Sharad Pawar of the wishes of the party’s membership to keep him as party leader.
“We informed Sharad Pawar that the employees are really dissatisfied. Along with having a working president, we also informed him that party members want him to continue serving as party president. He said that he would require two to three days to reconsider his choice. Ajit Pawar, the head of the NCP, spoke to media in Mumbai while his party’s members were staging a protest.
The change occurred despite recent rumours that Ajit Pawar, who wants to become chief minister, may be coming up to the BJP. Former state deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar has refuted these claims.
