Mumbai: It was a day of celebration at the Y.B. Chavan Auditorium in South Mumbai. Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) workers from across Maharashtra had gathered at the auditorium to celebrate their party founder and chief Sharad Pawar’s 63 years in politics. His autobiography, Lok Majhe Sangati, was released at the event. But Pawar had a different plan for the event. Along with talking about his political journey, Pawar announced that he would be stepping down as the party chief.But faced with strong opposition from party workers, who continued to protest outside the auditorium, Pawar later agreed to reflect on his decision and sought three days’ time to make a final decision.Pawar recalled the beginning of his political journey as a Congress party worker in 1960 and the formation of his own party in 1999. And towards the end of his speech, he announced: “After a long period of public life from May 1, 1960, to May 1, 2023, it is necessary to take a step back. Hence, I have decided to step down as president of the Nationalist Congress Party.” The 82-year-old patriarch added that he intends to “do more in the fields of education, agriculture, cooperation, sports and culture, amongst others.” #WATCH | “I am resigning from the post of the national president of NCP,” says NCP chief Sharad Pawar pic.twitter.com/tTiO8aCAcK— ANI (@ANI) May 2, 2023Pawar recommended that a committee of NCP members should be formed to decide how the next president will be elected. The committee, Pawar said, should have the following members: Praful Patel, Sunil Tatkare, K.K. Sharma, P.C. Chacko, Ajit Pawar, Jayant Patil, Supriya Sule, Chhagan Bhujbal, Dilip Walse Patil, Anil Deshmukh, Rajesh Tope, Jitendra Awhad, Hasan Mushrif, Dhananjay Munde, Jaydev Gaikwad, Fauzia Khan along with a few youth wing members of the party.Pawar said that even though he was stepping down as party president, he was not retiring from public life as yet and would continue to guide the party.The announcement by the four-time chief minister of Maharashtra, however, took the gathered workers aback. The televised session soon triggered sloganeering and many workers announced they would “fast unto death” if Pawar didn’t take his resignation back. NCP’s senior leaders Praful Patel and Anil Deshmukh expressed surprise and said they had “no clue” about the veteran leader’s plans. “Saheb (Pawar) did not take anyone into confidence before making such a big announcement,” Patel said. Senior NCP leader Nawab Malik’s daughters Nilofer Malik and Sana Malik Sheikh were also present at the meet. Since Malik has been in jail for over a year, the sisters appealed to Pawar to continue to look after them and the party as he always has. “You have looked after us like [a] father [figure]. Your decision to step down at this point won’t be good for us and the party. We urge you to continue as the party chief,” they urged. But one person at the event appeared to have known it all: Ajit Pawar. Since April, when the Supreme Court reserved its judgment in the batch of cases relating to the rift within the Shiv Sena factions headed by Uddhav Thackeray and Eknath Shinde, Ajit Pawar has been sending feelers, indicating that he had his eye on power once again. And this time as the state’s chief minister. Media has been abuzz with speculations around Ajit Pawar’s intention of joining hands with the BJP once the Supreme Court announces the verdict. Attempt to pacify Ajit Pawar?Today, at the event at the YB Chavan Auditorium, even as the party workers were in tears and urged Pawar to take his resignation back, Ajit Pawar sat firmly next to his uncle and aunt Pratibha. He said, Sharad Pawar was to announce his decision to step down on May 1, the exact date he had begun his politcal journey 63 years ago. But the announcement was held back as the Maha Vikas Aghadi meeting overlapped with his big plan. MP Supriya Sule, a seasoned leader of the party and Pawar’s daughter, was also present at the event. When party members urged her to speak, Ajit Pawar intervened. “As your brother, I urge you not to speak right now,” he said, in Marathi. Sule sat among party workers, not on the dais.Ajit Pawar’s dalliances with other parties are not new. In 2019, even when the NCP was busy in talks with the Congress and the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena, Ajit Pawar shocked everyone by taking oath along with the BJP’s Devendra Fadnavis at the governor’s bungalow. Pawar mentions this episode in his memoir and says he was “shocked” to find out about the sudden change in Maharashtra’s politics. “I was shocked when I got a call on November 23, 2019, around 6:30 am that Ajit and a few NCP MLAs were at Raj Bhavan and Ajit was taking an oath with Fadnavis,” the senior Pawar wrote.Pawar writes that he had made calls to a few MLAs who were at Raj Bhavan, only to be informed that around 10 MLAs were in support of the move. “This was a plan for the central BJP [prevent the] MVA [from coming to power]. I called Uddhav Thackeray immediately and told him that whatever Ajit has done is wrong and NCP and I don’t support that.” Despite Ajit Pawar’s inconsistencies, the uncle and nephew duo has stayed together. Sharad Pawar has all along supported and promoted Ajit Pawar, giving him cushy positions each time the NCP has been in power. Ajit Pawar. Photo: PTI/FileHowever, it was Ajit Pawar who conveyed Pawar’s message that he would reconsider his decision to party members and media, who were present outside the auditorium. The younger Pawar was at Silver Oak, Pawar’s residence, but returned to the auditorium to convey the message – an apparent bid to placate party members.The decision to step down, however, is apparently Pawar’s desperate attempt to save the party from splitting. Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) MP Sanjay Raut compared Pawar’s decision to Shiv Sena founder Bal Thackeray’s decision to step down as party head in 1992. “Fed up by dirty Politics and allegations , Shivsena Supremo Balasaheb Thackeray too had resigned as the Shivsena Pramukh. History seems to have repeated itself… But owing to the love of Shivsainiks he had to withdraw his decision. Like Balasaheb, Pawar Saheb too is the soul of the State’s politics (sic),” Raut tweeted. Fed up by dirty Politics and allegations , Shivsena Supremo Balasaheb Thackeray too had resigned as the Shivsena Pramukh. History seems to have repeated itself… But owing to the love of Shivsainiks he had to withdraw his decision…Like Balasaheb , Pawar Saheb too is the… pic.twitter.com/A0wq3XcnLU— Sanjay Raut (@rautsanjay61) May 2, 2023In 1992, following an unprecedented attack on his style of functioning from party members and outside critics, Bal Thackeray suddenly offered to step down. “Even if one Shiv Sainik (party worker) stands against me and my family and says I left the Shiv Sena because of you or you hurt us, I am not prepared to continue as Shiv Sena chief for one moment,” Bal Thackeray had written then in Saamana, the party-run Marathi daily.