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By India Today News Desk: The announcement by veteran politician Sharad Pawar (82) on Tuesday that he would be resigning as the president of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), the political outfit he founded and helmed since 1999, came as a springing surprise to many and even sent shockwaves to some of his dire supporters and admirers.
Sharad Pawar’s announcement came at the launch of his revised version of the autobiography where he said that he would step down as party chief, but will continue his “political and social work in public life”.
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Pawar’s call to end his 24-year-long reign over the party met with protests by scores of workers and leaders of NCP who asked the octogenarian leader to rescind his decision.
While several party workers and supporters threatened not to leave the venue unless Pawar took back his decision, senior NCP leader Jayant Patil broke down during the event.
A teary-eyed Patil beseeched him to withdraw his decision. “We would not accept his decision. Without him, how can we go to public?” he said.
Jayant Patil also asked Sharad Pawar to make the changes he wanted and requested the politician to continue as NCP chief.
However, the six-time Maharashtra chief minister remained unabated over his decision to step down and told his emotional supporters, “I am with you, but not as NCP chief.”
Pawar said his political journey began on May 1, 1960, and has continued unabated for the past 63 years, having served Maharashtra and India in various capacities during this period.
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“I have three years left of Rajya Sabha membership in Parliament, 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 as the president of the Nationalist Congress Party,” Pawar said.
The NCP chief said he intends to do more in the fields of education, agriculture, cooperation, sports and culture, amongst others, and also pay attention to issues related to the youth, students, workers, Dalits, tribals and other weaker sections of society.
A native of Maharashtra’s Baramati, Pawar contested his first MLA election on a Congress ticket at the age of 27 in 1968 and won. He also became the youngest chief minister of Maharashtra at the age of 38.
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