An NCP panel led by Praful Patel rejected Mr Pawar's resignation today. (File)
Three days after his bombshell resignation, Sharad Pawar today announced that he had changed his mind and that he would stay on as chief of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) as he "couldn't disrespect the feelings of the masses".
"After reconsideration of everything, I announce that I will continue as the president of the party. I take back my previous decision," Sharad Pawar, 82, said this evening, causing overjoyed partymen in Mumbai to break into dance and celebrate with firecrackers.
This morning, top NCP leaders had rejected Sharad Pawar's resignation and had urged him to consider the feelings of lakhs of workers, setting the stage for a turnabout by one of India's tallest and most astute politicians.
The dramatic resignation and equally dramatic takeback capped three days of turmoil in the NCP, which reaffirmed the veteran politician's absolute hold over the party he founded in 1999, amid talk of his nephew Ajit Pawar's dalliance with the ruling BJP.
Ajit Pawar, 63, was absent when Mr Pawar announced his U-turn and spoke of "organisational changes to the party, assigning new responsibilities and creating new leadership".
Though his latest decision stalls any succession plan for now, Mr Pawar said he believed "there is a need for a successor".
His resignation had fueled reports that his daughter Supriya Sule would take over his role, though the question of Ajit Pawar's role was left wide open.
"Even though I am continuing in the post of president, I am of the clear opinion that there has to be a succession plan for any post or responsibility in the organisation. In future, I will focus on making organizational changes in the party, assigning new responsibilities, creating new leadership," Mr Pawar said.
He asserted that his daughter didn't agree to become the working president of NCP, an option that was in circulation as NCP leaders tried to reassure workers refusing to accept Mr Pawar quitting.
On Tuesday, Ajit Pawar was the only NCP leader who appeared to accept Mr Pawar's decision as he spoke about the next chief working under his uncle's guidance.
On his nephew's conspicuous absence from his press conference, Mr Pawar said: "It's not compulsory that all the leaders should be present. There are many who aren't here. All of them were present in the committee meeting that happened in the morning and then even met me to inform that they have unanimously decided that we are together and we want you to continue."
Ajit Pawar, he said, "had an idea that I am going to resign, that's why he supported my decision".
When Mr Pawar announced his resignation at the launch of his memoir, many believed he wanted to thwart Ajit Pawar in his reported moves to organise a split in the party and defections to the BJP. That was believed to be the BJP's Plan B in case its government in Maharashtra was threatened by a Supreme Court order on the disqualification of 16 Shiv Sena MLAs including Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.
Mr Pawar's talk about organisational changes has heightened the uncertainty over Ajit Pawar, who, in 2019, stunned his party by joining the BJP's Devendra Fadnavis in a dawn oath ceremony in Maharashtra in the middle of Mr Pawar's efforts to stitch an alliance with Uddhav Thackeray and the Congress.
Mr Pawar said: "If anyone wants to go, no one can stop anyone. However, there's no truth that people in our party want to leave."
With his party bolstering his leadership, Mr Pawar appeared ready to resume his other job, that of bringing together an opposition pulling in all directions ahead of the 2024 national election.
"It is very important to unite all the political parties. From Rahul Gandhi to CPIM's Sitaram Yechury, everyone called and asked me to continue," Mr Pawar said.