MARATHA SATRAP PLOTS SUCCESSION

Mumbai: Sharad Pawar’s announcement of his stepping down as NCP president came less than a fortnight after his daughter Supriya Sule suggested there would be “two political explosions in 15 days, one in Delhi and the other in Maharashtra”.His decision came at a time Pawar is seen as one of the leaders who could bring opposition parties together against BJP ahead of the Lok Sabha elections next year. A four-time chief minister who also served as union defence and agriculture minister, Pawar was instrumental in stitching together the unlikely coalition of NCP, Congress and their ideological foe Shiv Sena to form the MVA government after the 2019 assembly elections.After the customary welcome speeches at the book release function at the Y B Chavan Centre on Tuesday, Pawar in his speech post-noon made some remarks about his nearly six-decades-long political journey and then said it was necessary to take a step back. He said after a long period of public life from May 1960 to 2023, he intended to do “more work in the field of education, agriculture and cooperation, sports and culture. I will pay attention to issues related to youths, students, workers, Dalits, tribals and weaker section of society”. He said he was setting up a party committee to be led by his colleague Praful Patel to decide on the election of a new president. “Now I have three years in the Rajya Sabha. I am not keen on taking up any fresh responsibility. I want to focus on issues related to Maharashtra,” he said. NCP leaders then climbed on to the dais in order to plead with him to relent. In turns, Praful Patel, Jayant Patil, Dilip Walse Patil, Dhananjay Munde, Chhagan Bhujbal, Sunil Tatkare and over a dozen senior legislators and MPs asked him to stay on, saying that they would not accept his resignation and that the party meant little without him at the helm.Even as pressure was mounting on the octogenarian leader, Ajit Pawar justified the NCP president’s decision, saying it was high time the party got a new leadership. “With the changing political situation, we must take new decisions. Most of the political parties have new leaders. I do not think Sharad Pawar will reconsider his decision,” Ajit Pawar said. For two hours, NCP leaders and activists surrounded Pawar at the Y B Chavan Centre and asked him to change his mind. Pawar, though, sat silently with his wife Pratibha by his side. His daughter and MP Supriya Sule sat among party leaders and activists. Praful Patel finally said, at 2.45pm, that activists needed to vacate the auditorium as Pawar had not had his lunch. “Sharad Pawar is old, he must follow a certain discipline about food. It will not be good if skips his lunch,” Patel said.Pawar left subsequently for his Silver Oak residence in south Mumbai but the activists still squatted inside the Y B Chavan Centre. It was soon decided that a team of NCP leaders would be deputed to meet him post-lunch and talk to him. Ajit Pawar, accompanied by NCP netas Chhagan Bhujbal, Jayant Patil and Supriya Sule, later met Pawar at his residence. Around 6pm, Ajit Pawar returned to the Y B Chavan Centre to brief party activists about the meeting with the NCP president.“We had a brief meeting with Sharad Pawar. We explained to him the sentiments of people. He has sought 2-3 days’ time for taking a decision on his resignation. All workers must immediately leave the Y B Chavan Centre, and no one should quit official posts or resort to agitation,” Ajit said. Following Ajit Pawar’s statement, party workers finally left the premises, ending a day filled with political drama.