Had I consulted netas, they’d have opposed move: Pawar

Mumbai: Interestingly, while most NCP leaders attended Wednesday’s meeting in Mumbai, and Sharad Pawar too was present at the Y B Chavan Centre in order to listen to views of his supporters, state NCP president Jayant Patil, believed to be among the frontrunners for the top post, was conspicuous by his absence. Praful Patel defended his absence, saying Patil was in a scheduled meeting of a sugar cooperative society in Pune.But Patil himself said he was not invited for the Y B Chavan Centre meeting. Within a couple of hours of making that statement, though, Patil came out with a clarification that no such meeting was organised on Wednesday.
In a related development, Sharad Pawar told visitors that the meeting of the committee he has set up for selection of the new NCP president should be held on May 5 instead of May 6 and that he will abide by the committee’s decision. “In my opinion, before taking such a big decision to step down from the NCP president’s post, I should have consulted senior party leaders. Certainly, had I consulted them earlier, they would have opposed the proposal,” Pawar said.
Pawar made the surprise announcement of his resignation from the post of NCP chief on Tuesday but agreed to do a rethink after his close aides and party leaders and activists urged him to reverse his move.
Speaking about the discussions around Supriya Sule being at the helm, an NCP leader said, “Over a period of time, Sule has emerged as a strong parliamentarian and able politician. She has successfully set up a network in all political parties and has made her presence felt in the Lok Sabha on several occasions.”
The leader said this was the most appropriate time to entrust the NCP leadership to Sule as the country would soon be in poll mode for 2024, nationally and in the state. “We feel that like Sharad Pawar, she has the capacity to mobilise opposition parties not only in the state but at the national level as well, as she has been working with her father in these areas,” the leader said.
On Ajit Pawar being picked for the CM’s post in the event the Maha Vikas Aghadi gets a majority, an NCP leader said the party was aware of MPCC Nana Patole’s opinion that the party which gets the most seats should get the top post. It is also not clear how the Shiv Sena (UBT) would react to such a plan. “Still, we are hopeful that Ajit Pawar will emerge as the consensus nominee for the CM’s post,” the leader said.
Praful Patel, who was present at the Y B Chavan Centre throughout Wednesday, said there was no formal meeting of the committee constituted to select the new party president. Instead, party workers from across the state had come to Mumbai and urged Pawar to reconsider his decision in the larger interest of the party. “There was no official meeting, and there was no discussion on the new president. I am making it clear that while a section of the media has mentioned my name, I am not in the race for the president’s post. I am a very small man, it’s not my cup of tea,” Patel said.
The Congress, meanwhile, has taken the view that Pawar resigned abruptly to clip the wings of Ajit Pawar. “We feel that since Ajit was in the process of taking a group of NCP legislators with him and support the BJP-led government, Pawar resigned, forcing fence-sitters in the NCP back into the mainstream,” a senior Congress leader said. Ajit Pawar has denied he was planning the leave the party.