Fadnavis on Sharad Pawar’s Resignation

Sharad Pawar’s decision to step down as the NCP president on Tuesday created ripples in the political circles with leaders across party lines reacting to the surprising development that comes just a year before the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.

Maharashtra Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis termed Pawar’s decision to quit an “internal matter” of the NCP, adding that the BJP is keeping an eye on the situation.

Talking to reporters, Fadnavis said, “Pawar sahib’s decision is NCP’s internal matter. It is his personal decision. He is a senior leader and he has decided something. Brainstorming over several issues is going on within his party. So, it will not be right for us to react to this. We will keep an eye on the situation and react after a day or two.”

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Springing a surprise, Pawar said he was stepping down as the chief of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), the outfit he founded after breaking away from the Congress. He had helmed the NCP since 1999.

Pawar made the announcement at the launch of a revised version of his autobiography. The announcement was met with protests by party workers and leaders who asked the octogenarian leader to rescind the decision.

Top NCP leader and nephew, Ajit Pawar, while speaking to the media, said that Pawar’s resignation doesn’t mean he was quitting politics. He added that Pawar wanted to announce this decision on May 1 but he could not since there was a MVA rally. “We expected this day will come someday,” said Ajit.

“In the Congress party, Sonia ji is still the leader, but she doesn’t hold the post. We have to consider his age. All functions will happen under his leadership only,” added Ajit Pawar.

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut called Pawar the “soul of Maharashtra politics” and likened his decision to the “resignation” of Sena founder Bal Thackeray. Taking to Twitter, Raut said, “Fed up by dirty Politics and allegations, Shivsena Supremo Balasaheb Thackeray too had resigned as the Shivsena Pramukh. History seems to have repeated itself… But owing to the love of Shivsainiks he had to withdraw his decision…Like Balasaheb, Pawar Saheb too is the soul of the State’s politics.”

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Raut’s party Shiv Sena (UBT) is a constituent of the Maha Vikas Aghadi that also comprises NCP and the Congress.

NCP leader Anil Deshmukh, who was present at the meeting in Mumbai where Pawar announced his decision, said that the state and the country need “Pawar saheb”.

A four-time Maharashtra chief minister, who served as Union Defence and Agriculture minister, Pawar was instrumental in stitching together an unlikely coalition of the NCP, Congress and then ideologically opposite Shiv Sena to form the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government after the 2019 Maharashtra Assembly elections.

(With PTI inputs)

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