New Delhi: A day after Sharad Pawar announced that he will step down as the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief, party leader Jitendra Awhad said he has also resigned from his post as National General Secretary on Wednesday.
He said that other office bearers have also resigned with him.
Speaking to news agency ANI, Awhad said. "I have resigned from my post of National General Secretary and I have sent my resignation to NCP chief Sharad Pawar. All office bearers of Thane NCP have also resigned after Pawar Saheb's announcement (to resign from the post of party chief)."
The veteran politician Sharad Pawar, at the launch of his autobiography on Tuesday, said, "After a long period of public life from May 1, 1960, to May 1, 2023, it is necessary to take a step back. Hence, I have decided to step down as President of the Nationalist Congress Party."
His resignation came at a time when the NCP itself is dealing with uncertainty over the next move by former Deputy Chief Minister and Sharad Pawar's nephew Ajit Pawar. There has been a growing buzz in political circles that the younger Pawar may quit NCP to join the BJP.
Immediately after Pawar's announcement, NCP workers across Maharashtra launched protests urging him to reconsider his decision. An NCP worker reportedly even wrote a letter to the NCP founder in blood, requesting him to roll back his decision.
As the day progressed and the demand of the NCP workers intensified, Ajit Pawar told them: "We told him [Sharad Pawar] that workers are quite upset. We also told him that party workers want him to remain the party president along with having a working president. He said he will rethink his decision and requires 2-3 days."
While announcing his decision, Pawar had recommended that a committee of NCP members be formed to decide who the next president of the party will be.