The Nationalist Congress Party's (NCP) Core Panel passed a proposal requesting party chief Sharad Pawar to continue to lead the NCP. The NCP held a core committee meeting today, Friday, May 5, after party chief Sharad Pawar announced his resignation from the post.
The committee consists of Sharad Pawar's daughter Supriya Sule, his nephew Ajit Pawar, Praful Patel, and Chhagan Bhujbal, among others.
On Thursday, Pawar claimed that his decision to resign was motivated by the party's future and the need for fresh leadership, despite continuous requests from party members for him to change his mind.
Leaders of the NCP persisted in requesting Pawar to change his mind. Supriya Sule, a Baramati Lok Sabha member and Ajit Pawar's daughter, is most likely to lead the party nationally, according to party workers who spoke on the condition of anonymity. Ajit Pawar will likely lead the Maharashtra branch.
Party leaders believe that the Pawar family will likely continue to hold the position of NCP leader since handing it to someone else could cause divisions and power struggles inside the organisation, which was founded in 1999.
But outside the party headquarters in Mumbai, the NCP leaders chanted slogans in support of Sharad Pawar, the NCP leader.
Praful Patel, the national vice president of the NCP, claimed on Wednesday that Sharad Pawar has not changed his mind despite numerous requests for him to do so from party leaders and backers.
He claimed that the party committee that Sharad Pawar himself appointed on Tuesday to choose his successor did not convene on Wednesday.
The committee will choose Sharad Pawar's successor if the need arises, and the decision will be made unanimously. There is no question of considering his successor till the final decision has been made, Patel said. He asked for time to examine his choice after the party asked him to reconsider it.
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