NCP says Sharad Pawar will be persuaded to reconsider decision to quit as party chief

Mumbai: Nationalist Congress Party on Thursday said that the committee set up by Sharad Pawar to deliberate on his successor will urge him to take back his resignation as party chief and denied the claim in a ‘Saamana’ editorial that some NCP leaders were inclined towards the BJP.

NCP chief spokesperson Mahesh Tapase told reporters that the party workers do not want Pawar to step down.

Pawar (82) left his party leaders and workers shellshocked on Tuesday when he announced during the launch of his revised autobiography ‘Lok Majhe Sangati’ that he would be stepping down. He also set up a party committee to decide on his successor. “The committee set up by Pawar saheb will meet tomorrow to deliberate on the issue and request him to take back his resignation,” Tapase said.

To a question about an editorial in Shiv Sena (UBT) mouthpiece ‘Saamana’ which claimed that most of the NCP leaders who "cried" over Pawar’s decision have their one foot in the BJP, Tapase said, “The entire NCP is united and will put up candidates against the BJP to ensure the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) wins maximum seats in the (2024) Assembly polls.”

The tripartite MVA, comprising NCP, Shiv Sena (UBT) and Congress, was in power in the state for over 30 months when it collapsed last June following a rebellion in the undivided Sena led by Eknath Shinde, who then joined hands with the BJP to become the chief minister. Pawar was the architect of MVA.

Senior NCP leader Praful Patel on Wednesday said there was no question of picking Sharad Pawar’s successor as party chief until there was a final decision on his announcement to quit the post.

Pawar has not relented despite repeated appeals from NCP leaders and supporters that he withdraw his decision to step down, Patel told reporters.