Sholapur, September 28: Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar says he wants to retire from politics and give younger leaders a chance. Plain enough but his party members are guessing who the younger leaders are going to be.
“It is time for the younger generation to play a greater role and for me to slowly step back. Isn’t that a good idea?” said Pawar, 69, at an election rally of the NCP in Sholapur on Sunday.
“I have started getting old. Now that the people have elected me to a five-year term, I will complete that term and return to the state and hand over responsibilities to younger leaders,” said Pawar, who is the Union Agriculture Minister.
Pawar, a year before the Lok Sabha elections, had said he would not contest Parliament elections again and handed over his Baramati constituency to his daughter Supriya Sule. He himself contested and won from the Madha Lok Sabha seat in Solapur.
Sources tell Pawar’s speech is an attempt to attract the sympathy from of rebel NCP leaders and make them withdraw their nominations for the Assembly elections in October.
The NCP, after its poor show in the Lok Sabha elections, is contesting 114 seats in the Assembly elections and Pawar is finding it difficult to keep all the aspirants in the party happy.
NCP general secretary D P Tripathi played down Pawar’s speech. “We (the party) are there to encourage the youth and the younger generation. “This (speech) is not to control, contain rebellion or to garner sympathy votes,” Tripathi said.
“Mr Pawar wanted to pave way for the younger generation. That is why he didn’t even want to contest the Lok Sabha elections in 2009. The entire party persuaded him and prevailed upon him to contest the Lok Sabha elections in 2009,” said Tripathi.
–Agencies