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By Ritvick Arun Bhalekar: Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Ajit Pawar on Tuesday requested the party workers to return and not sit on dharna over Sharad Pawar’s announcing his resignation from the party he has helmed since 1999. He also said that senior NCP leaders have met Sharad Pawar and urged him to consider the demands of party workers.
“We all met Sharad Pawar today and urged him to consider the demands of the workers and he said he will take 2-3 days to think over his decision,” Ajit Pawar said.
“…we told him (Sharad Pawar) that workers are quite upset. We also told him that party workers want him to remain the party president along with having a working president. He said he will rethink his decision and requires two to three days,” Ajit Pawar said.
Causing a mega political earthquake in Maharashtra, the octogenarian leader, earlier in the day, said he was stepping down as chief of the NCP. Several NCP leaders beseeched him to withdraw his decision.
“Rohit Pawar, Chagan Bhujbal and other leaders met Sharad Pawar at his residence in Mumbai,” Ajit Pawar said, requesting the protesting workers to wait for two to three days as the veteran politician has asked for time to rethink.
A meeting of a committee of party leaders – which Pawar said should decide on the election for his successor – was held at Sharad Pawar’s Silver Oak residence.
Springing a surprise, Sharad Pawar made the announcement to hand over NCP reigns at the launch of a revised version of his Marathi autobiography ‘Lok Majhe Sangati’ (People Accompany Me), prompting protests by party workers and appeals by senior leaders to rescind his decision.
Soon after Pawar’s shocking announcement, Maharashtra NCP president Jayant Patil and party leader Jitendra Awhad broke down. NCP MP Praful Patel even said that the veteran politician did not take anyone into confidence before announcing his resignation.
Meanwhile, justifying his decision, Sharad Pawar said that his political journey began on May 1, 1960, and since then he has continued without a break for the past 63 years with him serving Maharashtra and India in various capacities.
“I have three years of Rajya Sabha membership left, during which I will focus on the issues related to Maharashtra and India, with a caveat of not accepting any responsibility (of party post). 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 president of the Nationalist Congress Party,” he said.
While several party workers and supporters threatened not to leave the venue unless Pawar took back his decision, the politician said, “I am with you, but not as NCP chief.”
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