The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) supremo Sharad Pawar announced his decision to step down as the party chief on May 2, 2023. In response to a reporter’s question about Mr. Pawar’s announcement, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis stated that it was an internal matter of the NCP. He added that Mr. Pawar was a senior leader and deliberations were going on in his party, and it would be appropriate to comment only after the situation became clear. Mr. Pawar’s announcement comes amid speculation over the leadership crisis in the NCP. “It is his personal decision….NCP’s internal matter. I do not think it will be appropriate to talk about it at this stage. Sharad Pawar is a senior leader and deliberations are going on in his party. It will be appropriate to comment only after the situation gets clear,” the BJP leader said.
Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis responded to Sharad Pawar’s decision to step down as the Nationalist Congress Party’s chief by saying that it was the party’s internal matter. Fadnavis added that Pawar was a senior leader and that deliberations were taking place within the party, and it would be appropriate to comment only after the situation becomes clear.
Mr Fadnavis had taken oath as chief minister with Ajit Pawar as his deputy following the 2019 Assembly elections though the government fell in a few days as it could not muster the numbers
In 2019, after the Maharashtra Assembly elections, the BJP and Shiv Sena were in talks to form a government together. However, the Shiv Sena broke off the alliance and partnered with the NCP and Congress to form a government in the state. However, in a surprise move, on November 23, 2019, Devendra Fadnavis took oath as Maharashtra Chief Minister with Ajit Pawar as his deputy. The government, however, lasted for only three days as they could not prove their majority in the Assembly.
