On Thursday, Sharad Pawar, the NCP chief, hinted that he may reconsider his decision to step down from his position as NCP president. He met with party workers who were protesting outside the Y.B. Chavan Centre in Mumbai and assured them that they would not have to protest after Saturday.
Party insiders reveal that Mr. Pawar is unlikely to withdraw his decision to step down, but discussions are underway to find a middle ground. The most probable solution is that Mr. Pawar will postpone his resignation until the 2024 general elections. During this time, Supriya Sule will establish her leadership in the party at the national level, and Ajit Pawar will continue to lead the NCP in Maharashtra.
A meeting of the NCP's core committee, which Mr. Pawar announced on Tuesday to decide on his successor, will take place at the party's headquarters in Mumbai on Friday. The decision will be formally announced either on Friday evening or on Saturday after the meeting.
The committee comprises Ms. Sule, Ajit Pawar, Praful Patel, Sunil Tatkare, P.C. Chacko, Narhari Zirwal, Jayant Patil, Chhagan Bhujabl, Dilip Walse-Patil, Anil Deshmukh, Rajesh Tope, Jitendra Awhad, Hasan Mushrif, Dhananjay Munde, Jaydev Gaikwad, and the chiefs of the party's frontal cells.
The committee is considering another option to appoint a working president who will operate under Mr. Pawar's guidance and instructions, allowing the party's remote control to remain in his hands. However, whichever option the committee chooses, the control of the party will remain within the Pawar family, according to a source.
Mr. Pawar's decision to step down has shocked the party workers and cadre, who have been protesting for the past three days outside the Y.B. Chavan Centre. On Thursday afternoon, Mr. Pawar personally visited them and had a brief conversation. All the protesting NCP office-bearers told him they would not withdraw their protests until he agreed to continue as the party president. They also threatened to start a hunger strike from Saturday if he did not accept their demand.
After listening patiently to the party workers for nearly 15 minutes, Mr. Pawar explained his position to them. He said that he had decided to step down in the interest of the party, but he had taken note of their feelings. Party leaders and functionaries from other states had also asked him not to resign. He assured them that after meeting with leaders from other states on Friday, a final decision would be announced in a day or two, but after Saturday, they would not have to continue protesting.
However, a section of NCP leaders who will lose their importance in the party if Ajit Pawar takes charge is strongly opposing Mr. Pawar's decision. At least two MLAs and several office-bearers have offered to resign after Mr. Pawar's announcement. The state NCP president's (Mr. Patil) position in the party is also under threat. Mr. Patil did not meet Mr. Pawar along with other leaders on Wednesday. Instead, he met him alone at Mr. Pawar's residence in the evening.
"We are trying to persuade him to continue in the party president's post till the Lok Sabha and state Assembly elections next year. But he is firm in his decision. We have apprised him of the feelings among the party cadre. They are distraught. But Mr. Pawar ended the discussion by saying he will accept the decision taken by the committee. We will continue our efforts to convince him. But it is also true that Mr. Pawar's decision to step down has created a leadership vacuum in the NCP, and the party will have to find a way to address this issue. It remains to be seen what decision the core committee will make on Friday and how it will impact the future of the party.