NCP facing leadership vacuum after Pawar’s exit, replacement choice in confusion: report

Mumbai: After Sharad Pawar’s dramatic exit as the party chief, the NCP in Maharashtra is facing the question of who will take on the mantle of leader.

The committee that Pawar put in place two days ago to decide future course of actions will meet at 11 am at the party office in Mumbai tomorrow, NDTV reported.

As Pawar is likely to stick to his guns, NCP leadership will have to find a strong replacement who can hold together the party threatening to fall apart.

NCP leadership is likely to pin its hope on Pawar’s daughter Supriya Sule for party chief, according to the report.

Meanwhile, observers believe that with his resignation Pawar was trying to outwit his nephew Ajit Pawar’s rumoured move to split the party and take away a splinter group to the BJP bastion.

Bringing in Sule to the top job in the party could help 82-year-old Pawar continue to retain his hold on NCP, according to the report.

As if sounding out the retired party chief’s feelings, senior leader Chaggan Bhujbal reportedly said: ‘Ajit Pawar should take care of the state and (Supriya) Sule should take care of national politics. She should be the next national president if Sharad Pawar doesn't want to continue as the president.’

Meanwhile, NCP’s Maharashtra unit chief, Jayant Patil on Thursday said he had no ambitions to become the party’s national chief.

Senior leader Praful Patel previously on Wednesday said Pawar was not willing to change his decision to step down as the party chief.

‘Pawar yesterday said there should be a generational change. Maybe he wanted a new generation to step forward. None of us knew about it beforehand. He has asked for some time, and we should grant him that,’ Patel reportedly said.