Sharad Pawar steps down as NCP chief
Forms a panel comprising top leaders to decide on the name of his successor
NCP chief Sharad Pawar with his wife and party leader Ajit Pawar during a book launch event, in Mumbai on Tuesday
Mumbai: Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) President Sharad Pawar on Tuesday announced that he was stepping down as party chief, and also said that he has formed a panel to name his successor.
He announced a committee comprising top leaders like Praful Patel, Sunil Tatkare, K K Sharma, P C Chacko, Ajit Pawar, Jayant Patil, Supriya Sule, Chhagan Bhujbal, Dilip Walse-Patil, Anil Deshmukh, Rajesh Tope, Dr Jitendra Awhad, Hasan Mushrif, Dhananjay Munde, and Jaydev Gaikwad.
State and national political circles greeted Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) president Sharad Pawar’s decision to step down as party chief with shock, disbelief, many in tears and vociferous calls asking him to withdraw his move, here on Tuesday.
State NCP President Jayant Patil broke down, other senior leaders like Praful Patel, Chhagan Bhujbal, Dilip Walse-Patil Narhari Zirwal, and many more said the decision was ‘not acceptable,’ made fervent appeals and ‘begged’ with moist eyes to their Supremo’ to retract, and many others even threatened to resign from their posts.
Senior leaders like Ajit Pawar, state party chief Jayant Patil and others attempted to pacify the party workers and the lower rung leaders, and urged them to remain calm. Pawar, 82, made the announcement of his retirement during the release of his autobiography, 'Lok Majhe Sangati - Political Autobiography'.
“It will continue to strive for the growth of the party organisation, to take the ideology and goals of the party to the people, and to serve the people, as they deem fit. Even though I am stepping down from the post of president, I am not retiring from public life,” said Pawar.
