Congress, RJD welcome Sharad Pawar’s decision to stay as NCP chief

By Aditya Vaibhav: Sharad Pawar continues to be at the helm of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) after the party’s high-level committee unanimously rejected his resignation and he agreed to stay on as party chief.

The NCP, including nephew Ajit Pawar, endorsed his leadership in what became an apparent referendum on his authority. No one in the NCP accepted — neither Chhagan Bhujbal nor Praful Patel nor Jayant Patil, not even Supriya Sule — to step into his huge shoes holding the party’s helms.

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The political turmoil in Maharashtra drew attention from Bihar leaders as the ruling Mahagathbandhan, comprising leaders like Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav, aims to strengthen the opposition unity at the national level. To achieve this, Kumar and Yadav have been undertaking swift tours to other states and the national capital.

The Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) welcomed Pawar’s decision to retain the top position in the NCP. RJD spokesperson Mrityunjay Tiwari emphasised Pawar’s status as one of the most senior leaders and gave credit for his change of heart to the emotional appeal from NCP party workers. Tiwari expressed optimism that Pawar’s continued presence would play a crucial role in fostering opposition unity, which he viewed as a positive development for national politics.

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Even the Congress party acknowledged Pawar’s significance and said his recent strategic moves are a testament to his influential position within the NCP. Speaking to India Today, Congress spokesperson Asit Nath Tiwari said, “The episode displayed the level of affection NCP workers have for Pawar.” He added that Pawar is with Mahagathbandhan.

“Sharad Pawar is amongst senior most leaders and his party workers’ emotional appeal forced him to reconsider.” Holding the development as a positive one for national politics, Tiwari said Sharad Pawar will be instrumental in fostering opposition unity.

However, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) viewed the entire episode with suspicion. BJP spokesperson Nikhil Anand alleged that the rejection of Pawar’s resignation was “an attempt to stall internal bickering within the NCP and the episode has categorically rebranded Pawar as a Satrap to reckon with.”

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