As Sharad Pawar Rethinks Resignation, Party Leader Endorses Supriya Sule

Veteran political leader Sharad Pawar has said he would rethink his resignation from the top post of the Nationalist Congress Party, which would take "two or three days". But a section within the party is already thinking of a successor. In an interview with NDTV, senior party leader Chaggan Bhujbal endorsed Mr Pawar's daughter and Lok Sabha member Supriya Sule for the job.

"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," Mr Bhujbal told NDTV.

Mr Bhujbal said this morning they had gone to reason with Mr Pawar again. The team included Mr Pawar's nephew Ajit Pawar, the state presidents and others.

"We requested that you should take back this thing, we want you to continue.  He was calm but nothing to say. Then he asked me to tell the media that there is no meeting... after two three days this committee will sit together and there will be a decision," he said.

Party vice-president Praful Patel, however, tried to play down the issue, telling reporters that Sharad Pawar remains the party chief till he reconsiders his decision to step down from the post, and there would be no discussions to pick his successor till then.

"There is no vacancy. Whether Pawar remains president or not, he is the party's identity and soul," news agency PTI quoted Mr Patel as saying when he was asked about a successor in view of Mr Bhujbal's comments.

"If the situation arises, the committee will decide on Pawar's successor and the decision will be unanimous. He sought time to think over his decision after the party asked him to reconsider it, and till the final decision is arrived at, there is no question of deliberating on his successor," he added.

In his shock announcement to step down on Tuesday, Mr Pawar had named a committee and tasked it with choosing his successor. Mr Patel, who is part of the committee, has already declared that he is not in the race for the top post.

But with party leaders' dramatic refusal to accept his decision he had promised to rethink the matter.

"I took my decision but because of all of you, I will rethink on my decision. But I need two to three days and I will give it a thought only if the workers go home. Some people have been resigning from party posts too. These resignations should stop," Mr Pawar's nephew Ajit Pawar had quoted him as saying yesterday.