Sharad Pawar, the chief of the National Congress Party, on Tuesday, has stepped down as the party president. The declaration was made by the veteran politician and four-time chief minister of Maharashtra at the Yashwantrao Chavan Pratisthan in Mumbai during the book launch of his autobiography.“It is important to stand back after a long time of public life from May 1, 1960, to May 1, 2023. As a result, I have chosen to resign from my position as leader of the Nationalist Congress Party,” Pawar said.He added, “I am resigning from the post of the national president of NCP. It is time for a new generation to guide the party and the directions it intends to take.” Adding to this, Pawar said that he has just announced his resignation, and not retiring from public meetings, and will continue attending public events.Pawar, who has been the leader of NCP since its inception in 1999, stated that he has three years remaining on his Rajya Sabha membership and that he plans to use those three years to concentrate on matters relating to Maharashtra and India, “with a caveat of not taking any responsibility.”Withdraw your decision: NCP workers to PawarThe moment after Pawar announced his decision, the workers and leaders of the National Congress Party demanded he withdraw his decision. They also threatened not to leave the venue unless he takes back his decision. Party MP Praful Pawar urged Pawar to reverse his judgement while NCP President Jayant Patil and Party Leader Jitendra Awhad broke down after the announcement by Pawar. Patel claimed that Pawar did not take anyone into confidence before announcing his resignation.Who will succeed as NCP leaderIn his speech, Pawar stated that a committee will be established to choose the person who will hold the position of NCP chief. He added that prominent NCP members including Supriya Sule, Ajit Pawar, Praful Patel, Jayant Patil, Anil Deshmukh, Rajesh Tope, and Chhagan Bhujbal would be on the committee to choose the next party president.
