Pawar resignation: Praful 'not interested', Supriya Sule could be the next NCP chief

Hectic parleys are underway in Mumbai to choose the party leadership day after Sharad Pawar dropped the bombshell announcing his decision to step down as NCP president.

Mumbai:A day after Sharad Pawar dropped the bombshell announcing his decision to step down as NCP president, senior party leaders held a discussion to decide on the next president on Wednesday, even as NCP leader Chhagan Bhujbal said Pawar's daughter and Lok Sabha member Supriya Sule was ideal for a "national role".

The leaders started pouring in at Pawar's Silver Oak Residence since morning. As the crowd swell continued, the meeting was shifted to YB Chavan Centre. Praful Patel and Supriya Sule are the leading contenders for the position, though Sule seems to be in the lead as Patel said he was not interested in the post. "I am not ready to take on the responsibility of the presidency. I am not interested in the post of president," Patel said.

This news also puts an end to the rumors that Sharad Pawar's nephew, Ajit Pawar, was the frontrunner for the position. An NCP worker from Pune wrote a letter in blood, appealing to Pawar to withdraw his decision and not make him and several other party workers "orphan". Pawar was present at the Yashwantrao Chavan Centre in Mumbai where the NCP leaders held the discussion informally, but he did not attend the meet.

Before the discussion, Bhujbal told reporters he was of the view that Supriya Sule was ideal for a "national role" as she has a good grasp of issues. "She has been doing well as a parliamentarian. So there will be no problem on deciding the new (NCP) president. Ajit Pawar should handle the responsibility of the state (Maharashtra). The division of work is already there," he said.

Pawar (82) on Tuesday dropped a bombshell by saying he is stepping down as chief of the NCP which he founded and helmed since 1999, but not retiring from public life. The announcement, made at an event, stumped leaders and workers of the 24-year-old party, and many were seen crying and pleading with the Maratha strongman to reconsider his decision.

Ajit Pawar later on Tuesday announced his uncle will need two to three days to "think over" his decision. Bhujbal on Wednesday said Pawar's announcement to step down as the NCP chief came as a shock to everyone. "We will persuade him to withdraw his decision," he said. After the meeting of NCP leaders, Bhujbal said there was no meeting as such of a committee, formed by Sharad Pawar to decide on his successor.

"Since we were in Mumbai, we met informally to discuss how to persuade Pawar saheb to withdraw his resignation," he said. "What I spoke in the morning (with reference to Supriya Sule) is my personal view," Bhujbal said. Meanwhile, Sandip Kale, an NCP worker from Pune who also operates an auto-rickshaw, in a letter addressed to Sharad Pawar claimed he is "God" (daivat) to the common party workers like him and wondered whom they will look up to after him.

He appealed to Sharad Pawar not to make him and several other party workers "orphan" and requested him to withdraw his decision. "I have been running an auto-rickshaw for the last ten years and am a party worker for several years. I did not like the decision taken by saheb and to convey my feelings, I penned a letter in my own blood and sent it to him," he told PTI.

Meanwhile, meetings are ongoing within the NCP to ensure that the transition process is smooth and does not create any confusion among party workers and office-bearers. These meetings are taking place at Sharad Pawar's residence, where NCP MLAs Rajendra Shingane, Prajakt Tanpure, Vikram Kale, Babaji Durrani, Umesh Patil, and Mehboob Sheikh have been meeting since morning. It has been reported that Sharad Pawar will take two to three days to think about his decision before announcing it to the party.

Another meeting is also taking place at Ajit Pawar's Devagiri bungalow, where party MLAs Dattatraya Bharne, Anil Patil, and Nawab Malik's daughter met with Ajit Pawar. NCP MP Sunil Tatkare has also visited Ajit Pawar's bungalow.

Praful Patel is a senior leader of the NCP and a close confidante of Sharad Pawar. Meanwhile, Supriya Sule is also a senior leader and a three-time MP from Baramati. While some sources claim that NCP MP Supriya Sule is likely to be the next party president following the footsteps of her father, some say that the post may be kept vacant for the time being. Sharad Pawar announced his decision to step down from the top post on Tuesday. In a recent media interaction, Sule had hinted at "two big political explosions" in the next 15 days, one in Delhi and the other in Maharashtra.

Ajit Pawar factor-This was amid speculation of her cousin, Ajit Pawar switching over to the BJP. She had also backed Ajit Pawar over his recent statement that he is prepared for the Chief Minister's post in the state. In an interaction with ANI, she said that there is nothing wrong to have ambition or a dream in politics. "I don't think there is anything wrong with saying openly about it. In fact, he is very honest in talking about his ambition," she said.

On Tuesday, Ajit recalled the NCP founder's iteration that it is time to pass on the party leadership to someone else. Ajit is also one of the contenders for the top post and has been in the headlines of having plans to break the party and join hands with the saffron party.