Sharad Pawar resigns as NCP leader, leaving supporters stunned.
Mumbai:
The big question of succession after a veteran political leader by Sharad Pawar The stunning resignation of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader two days ago could be answered tomorrow following a meeting in Mumbai, party sources said on Thursday.
A committee, appointed by Mr Pawar to choose his successor after his resignation, will meet at 11 a.m. at the party office in Mumbai, NCP sources said. If Mr Pawar remains firm on his decision, his daughter Supriya Sule is likely to become party leader, they said.
Announced following steps taken by his nephew Ajit Pawar to split the party and take over as party leader, Sharad Pawar’s resignation was seen by many as a calculated move to thwart a coup attempt.
The anointing of Ms Sule, an MP for her father’s constituency in Maharashtra, would ensure the wily 82-year-old keeps the keys to the gate.
Party leader Chaggan Bhujbal told NDTV on Wednesday that Ajit Pawar should take care of the state and (Supriya) Sule should take care of national politics. She should be the next national president if Sharad Pawar does not want to continue as president.
On Thursday, the leader of the party’s Maharashtra unit, Jayant Patil, said he had no desire to become national chairman. The admission echoed that of his colleague, Praful Patel, a day ago.
Taking his name out of the picture, Mr Patel said on Wednesday that Mr Pawar had not backed down, despite repeated calls from leaders and supporters for him to reverse his decision to quit.
He said there was no question of choosing Sharad Pawar’s successor as party leader until there was a final decision on his announcement to leave the post.
“Pawar said yesterday that there should be a generation change. Maybe he wanted a new generation to come forward. None of us knew that before. He asked for some time, and we should grant that,” Mr Patel said.
“He asked for time to reflect on his decision after the party asked him to reconsider, and until the final decision is made, there is no question of deliberating on his successor,” he said. -he declares.
The party was trying to persuade Mr Pawar to reconsider his decision, Mr Patel said, adding that workers should be patient and stop resigning en masse from their posts in protest at the decision.
At least two MPs and several bureau members offered to resign after Mr Pawar’s announcement.