In a move that came as a surprise to many, veteran politician Sharad Pawar on Tuesday resigned as president of the Nationalist Congress Party, the political outfit he floated more than two decades ago. "I have decided to step down as the president of the NCP," Pawar said at a press briefing. His announcement was greeted by loud exclamations from the gathering. Pawar, however, made it clear that he was not taking a backseat from politics. "My colleagues, even though I am stepping down from the post of president, I am not retiring from public life," he said.