Baramati rallies behind 'saheb', wants its most famous son to continue heading NCP

In Baramati town of Pune district the home turf of NCP president Sharad Pawar and a place synonymous with his politically powerful family the news of his resignation as party chief has come as a bolt from the blue for its residents who want him to continue heading the outfitDropping a bombshell 82yearold Pawar on Tuesday said he is stepping down as chief of the political outfit he founded and helmed since 1999 after exiting the CongressThe former Union minister made the announcement at an event in Mumbai organised to release the updated version of his Marathi autobiography Lok Majhe SangatiAs the news travelled to Baramati in western Maharashtra located around 250 km from Mumbai its residents rubbed their eyes in disbelief and struggled to come to terms with the developmentAlso Read Sharad Pawarrsquos 3Dchess Castling Ajit to checkmate the BJPPawar saheb should not resign The party is there because of him and he should not relinquish the reins He should not think of stepping down and be at the helm of the affairs as long as possible for him said Jawahar Shah who runs educational institutes in BaramatiShah said before going public Pawar may have discussed the dramatic move with his ambitious nephew Ajit Pawar who has been at the centre of intense political speculation over the last few weeksIt is highly possible they had a discussion before this announcement Pawar saheb would not take this kind of decision alone he saidShah said the people in Baramati represented in the Lok Sabha for long by the Maratha politician want him to continue heading the party which was a constituent of the ruling coalition in Maharashtra till June last yearIt is everyones desire and demand that Pawar saheb remains the NCP chief The partys base has expanded because of his efforts he saidYogesh Jagtap who is associated with the NCP said Pawars decision has come as a shock not only to the people of Baramati but the entire state of MaharashtraIn the current volatile political situation Pawar sahebs leadership is much needed He is a fatherly figure and the state today needs Pawar sahebs leadershiphe should remain active in politics he saidThe way Balasaheb Thackeray cannot be replaced in the Shiv Sena founded by him by anyone in the same way Pawar saheb cant be replaced in the NCP Till the last moment he should remain the party chief and while controlling the reins of the party saheb should develop a team and create the next level of leadership Ajit Pawar is already ready as everyone knows the functioning of Ajit Pawar said JagtapThere is no doubt that Ajit Pawar is an able administrator but the NCP patriarchs leadership is required by the party he saidI am sure saheb will have to take his decision back as common party workers and the people of Baramati would not accept his decision Jagtap saidHe said there was an attempt by some people to make Ajit Pawar a villain in the entire episode but whenever any important decision is taken in the party it is first discussed in the familyAnother local resident Madan Devkate said he has been watching Pawars political life for more than 35 yearsAs per the information I have Pawar saheb took this decision in consultation with Supriya tai his daughter Supriya Sule the current MP from Baramati and Ajit dada and we will accept whatever decision the family takes he saidPawars guidance is needed by the party he saidThough his decision is a shock for everyone as Lok Sabha elections are around the corner it is also true that whenever he takes any decision it is a well thought out one Devkate statedImtiyaz Shikilkar who owns an industrial unit in the town said the resignation announcement was a big shock for himEveryone is stunned no one is able to come to terms with the fact that he has taken such a decision he saidPrashant Kate another resident of Baramati said it is difficult for local people to digest the newsEveryone is of the opinion that Pawar saheb should not have taken such a decision he saidThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever