According to sources, Congressman Rahul Gandhi spoke with Sharad Pawar’s daughter and Lok Sabha member Supriya Sule today over the veteran politician’s resignation as the head of the Nationalist Congress Party. On Tuesday, Sharad Pawar made an unexpected announcement about his resignation and created a committee to select his replacement. According to senior party leader Praful Patel, Pawar has refused to change his mind despite numerous requests from Nationalist Congress Party leaders and followers. Ajit Pawar, the nephew of Sharad Pawar, is rumored to be the candidate for Maharashtra unit chief, while Supriya Sule has emerged as the front-runner for national president.
On Tuesday, May 2, after the political heavyweight announced that he was stepping down as the president of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and stated that a committee of senior NCP leaders would decide the future course of action, chaotic scenes occurred during the launch of the second edition of Sharad Pawar’s autobiography. Later, Ajit Pawar reported that Sharad Pawar had requested two to three days to think things over. In Pawar’s presence, NCP leaders and workers yelled anti-exit slogans and declared that they would not leave the hall until he withdraws his decision. “We do not accept saheb’s choice”, the leaders declared. “We implore you to take it back. Until you take action, we won’t move.” On stage, some leaders were seen to be in tears.
“I have three years of Rajya Sabha tenure left,” Pawar stated when announcing his choice. He further added, “Henceforth, I will not contest elections. I will focus more throughout these three years on topics that affect the nation and the state. I will accept no extra obligations. Beginning on May 1, 1960, I entered politics. Our celebration of May Day was yesterday. One should consider stopping somewhere after this protracted political career. Not being greedy is a must. After so many years, I will never adopt a position where I adhere to a stance. However, I’ve made the decision to leave my position as NCP chief behind.”
On Tuesday, the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance’s leaders in Maharashtra expressed dismay at Sharad Pawar’s decision to step down as NCP leader and claimed that his advice was required at this time. In 2019, Pawar played a key role in bringing together Congress, his Nationalist Congress Party, and the Shiv Sena, their then-ideological rival. Balasaheb Thorat, a senior state Congress leader, stated that Pawar shouldn’t resign while a “new freedom struggle” is ongoing.
