The veteran NCP leader who announced his resignation on May 2 has now organised a committee that will choose the next party leader. This has put a stop to widespread rumours that Ajit Pawar would take over immediately as the new chief of the party.
According to the reports, the 18 members included in the committee are Ajit Pawar, Supriya Sule, Jayant Patil, Dilip Walse Patil, Chhagan Bhujbal, Praful Patel, Jaydev Gaikwad, Anil Deshmukh, Rajesh Tope, Jitendra Whad, Hassan Mushrif, Dhananjay Munde, Sunil Tatkare, Fauzia Khan, K K Sharma, Dheeraj Sharma, P C Chacko and Sonia Duhan.
The committee is slated to decide the next party chief from the names that will be recommended by Sharad Pawa himself. This is a day after Ajit Pawar stated that senior Pawar would reconsider his decision from resigning as the party chief.
#LIVE | Sharad Pawar sets up an 18-member committee; Republic accesses the full list of committee formed by Sharad Pawar.#NCP #SharadPawar #PawarRetireshttps://t.co/JBOJSkzT7L pic.twitter.com/EEdLX0382d
— Republic (@republic) May 3, 2023
“I am resigning from the post of the national president of NCP. It’s time for a new generation to guide the party and the direction it intends to take,” Sharad Pawar said on May 3 adding that a committee shall decide who should be given the responsibility of the NCP chief’s post.
As per the reports, the NCP chief would be one of the five names that have been recommended by former NCP chief Sharad Pawar. These five recommendations include Praful Patel, Rajya Sabha MP, Supriya Sule, Lok Sabha MP, Ajit Pawar, the Leader of the Opposition (LoP) in the Maharashtra Assembly, and NCP MLAs Chhagan Bhujbal and Jayant Patil
Sharad Pawar yesterday resigned from the post of NCP chief at the relaunch event of his book ‘Lok Maze Sangati’. The 82-year-old served as NCP’s President for 24 years between 1999 and 2003. During the event, he said, “The people of Maharashtra have supported me and showed immense love and respect for me. NCP was formed in 1999. We all know how it was formed and what happened. I have dedicated 24 years of my life working as the chief of the party.”
“My public life began on May 1, 1960. It’s been 63 years today and I was part of the major ruling political events in the State for about 56 years. I won’t contest any more elections but will keep working for the betterment of the State and the nation. I won’t take any other responsibility hereafter,” Pawar added.
“After 63 years, I think I need to stop somewhere. After having the opportunity to serve the public for so many years of my life, you all may feel disappointed to know that I am resigning from the post of the national president of NCP,” he announced on May 2.
Soon after the announcement, NCP leaders who had gathered for the book launch event protested against Pawar’s decision and demanded he take back his resignation. Many leaders including Jitendra Awhad, Praful Patel, Dilip Walse Patil and also daughters of Nawab Malik cried and said that NCP would not function properly without him. Several other leaders also said that they would tender their resignations and would quit food and water if Sharad Pawar fails to take back his resignation.
Eventually, Praful Patel and Ajit Pawar supported Pawar in his decision and tried to convince the other NCP workers and leaders to respect his decision. They assured that Pawar would only run the party just the chief will be changed.
Notably, the update by Republic TV revealed that NCP leaders from Dharashiv have tendered their resignation from the party and have asked Sharad Pawar to reconsider his decision. The NCP workers and leaders believe that the ‘smooth functioning’ of the party will be disturbed if Sharad Pawar discontinues to be the chief of the party.
