Bowing to ‘cadre sentiment’, Sharad Pawar stays party boss

Three days after sending shockwaves through political circles veteran politician Sharad Pawar withdrew his resignation on Friday after the Nationalist Congress Partyrsquos selection committee rejected his retirement call in view of the supportersrsquo outcry and their vehement appeal that he continue as party chiefThe leader pulled the curtains on a threeday drama keeping speculations alive when he said that there has to be a succession plan for any post or responsibility in the organisation and that he would make changes to the partyrsquos organisational structure in the near futureThe rollback also evoked a thunderous reaction from party workers and leaders who had been protesting at YB Chavan Centre for the past three days But on Friday they sensed good news was on its way and came prepared with a dhol pathak local band They cheered Pawar and danced as they thanked the veteran politician for respecting their sentiments A day before Pawar himself had assured them that their feelings would not be ignored and they wouldnrsquot need to sit at the centre waiting for a favourable decision for many daysAlso Read Ajit welcomes Sharad Pawars decision to continue as NCP chiefNCP chief Sharad Pawar at YB Chavan Centre on Friday PicsAtul KamblePawarrsquos continuation came as a big sigh of relief for the partyrsquos first and second leadership which was genuinely concerned about the NCPrsquos prospects ahead of next yearrsquos big elections and the very existence of Pawarrsquos brainchild the Maha Vikas Aghadi Speculations didnrsquot end though because some prominent NCP leaders had taken a stand that Pawar should be allowed to retire and mentor a new leadership Ajit Pawar was one among them and as his reputation goes the day wasnrsquot an exceptionAji not upset uncleThe announcement did not happen without further drama because Ajit Pawar was conspicuous by his absence at the unclersquos media conference though he was among a group of leaders who had gathered at his unclersquos residence to convey to him the panelrsquos sentiment Some leaders travelled to Nariman Point to be with Pawar who was accommodated by his wife Pratibha she didnrsquot attend the media conference Questions about Ajitrsquos absence were repeated from all corners but Pawar downplayed it ldquoDo all journalists attend a press conferencerdquo he said in response adding that Ajit too was among the senior leaders who asked him to change his mindldquoI told Ajit about my decision before coming hererdquo he said dismissing rumours that the Opposition leader in the Assembly was upset over his withdrawal and had gone to New Delhi on FridayNCPrsquos national vicepresident Praful Patel speaks at the eventHe said some leaders had made a suggestion that he should continue as the chief and have his daughter Supriya Sule appointed as a working president ldquoHowever neither his colleagues nor Supriya approved of itrdquoHe also refused to acknowledge the observations made by the Shiv Sena UBT and some Congress leaders that his resignation had its genesis in the possibility of some NCP leadersrsquo plan to switch over to the BJP ldquoWhy donrsquot you ask them There is no such thing defection plan in the NCPrdquo he addedOverwhelmed by loveReading out reasons for rolling back Pawar said ldquoMy decision evoked strong sentiments amongst the people Party workers officebearers and my colleagues were disheartened to hear my decision All my wishers unanimously appealed to me to reconsider my decision At the same time the leaders from various political parties he named Rahul Gandhi and Sitaram Yechury among them my colleagues and wellwishers from all over the country and especially from Maharashtra persuaded me to change my decision lsquoLok Maze Sangatirsquo the title of his political biography means people are my companions And this is the real secret of my long and satisfying public life I cannot disrespect their feelingsrdquoThe veteran leader added ldquoI am overwhelmed with the love trust and faith showered on me Considering the appeals made by all of you and honouring the decision of the committee constituted by the party I am withdrawing my decision to retire Even though I am continuing in the post of president I am of the clear opinion that there has to be a succession plan for any post or responsibility in the organisation In the future I will focus on making organisational changes in the party assigning new responsibilities creating new leadership I will also work vigorously for the growth of the organisation and take our ideology and goals of the party to the people Your continuous support has been a real inspiration for me I will be forever grateful to you who have stood by me during successes and all the challenges of my life I reiterate that I accept to continue the responsibility as the party presidentrdquoBall in Pawarrsquos courtEarlier on Friday as expected the NCPrsquos selection committee rejected Sharad Pawarrsquos resignation from the national presidentrsquos office urging him to reconsider The octogenarian has asked the party colleagues for some time to think about itNCPrsquos national vicepresident Praful Patel the convener of the committee Pawar had named in his resignation speech on May 2 said the decision to reject the party chiefrsquos call was unanimous ldquoWe passed a resolution asking him to stay on as the national presidentrdquo he said State NCP president Jayant Patil and senior leader Chhagan Bhujbal endorsed Patel later in the dayBhujbal said no suggestion was made to appoint a working president he was the one who had suggested so a day before while talking to the media persons ldquoThere is no other way Pawar saheb will have to withdraw his resignation He will be the only one to head the partyrdquo he saidMay 2Day Pawar announced resignationMay 5Day Pawar rolled back decision