After stepping down as NCP chief, Pawar carries on daily routine

MUMBAI: A day after Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) president Sharad Pawar announced his decision to step down as the political outfit's chief, he stuck to his daily routine of meeting people including party functionaries here on Wednesday.

Pawar (82) on Tuesday dropped a bombshell by saying he is stepping down as chief of the NCP which he founded and helmed since 1999, but not retiring from public life.

The announcement, made at an event, stumped leaders and workers of the 24-year-old party, and many were seen crying and pleading with the Maratha strongman to reconsider his decision. Senior NCP leader Ajit Pawar later on Tuesday announced that his uncle will need two to three days to "think over" his decision.

An NCP functionary on Wednesday said Sharad Pawar was meeting people, including party workers, as usual at the Yashwantrao Chavan Pratishthan from 10 am to 1 pm.

Notably, Sharad Pawar's surprise announcement on Tuesday came less than a fortnight after NCP's Lok Sabha member and his daughter Supriya Sule indicated that there will be two "blasts" (political) in 15 days, one in Delhi and another in Maharashtra. After Sharad Pawar declared he is quitting as NCP chief, district unit office bearers in some places in the state said they were quitting their posts to demand that he reconsider his decision. Conveying his message to protesting party workers, Ajit Pawar requested NCP functionaries not to resign from their posts against Pawar senior's surprise decision.