NCP facing challenges today but we should not worry: Sharad Pawar

NCP founder Sharad Pawar on Thursday said his party belonged to the common people, and although it was going through difficult times today, nobody should worry about the challenges it was facing.

He also stressed that there was a need to stay united and work towards improving the state's image. Pawar was addressing the Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) group's convention of young women in Mumbai hours before Maharashtra assembly speaker Rahul Narwekar passed his verdict on the disqualification of the rival NCP factions.

The speaker held that the Ajit Pawar-led group was the real NCP when two factions emerged in July 2023, and dismissed disqualification petitions filed by both the factions, one each led by Ajit Pawar and Sharad Pawar.

During the function, Pawar said the decision to form the NCP was made in this same hall 25 years ago, and lakhs of party workers across the state came forward to support the cause. "NCP is a party of common people. Today, it is facing challenges, but you and I should not be worried about these challenges. We will stay united and make decisions that will benefit the next generation. We will work towards improving the state's image," he said. "Within three months of NCP's formation, the people of the state entrusted the party with the responsibility of governing the state. Many young leaders from the party emerged as formidable forces, working to address the issues of common people in the state for the next five years," he said.

The NCP suffered a split in July last year when Ajit Pawar and other MLAs joined the Eknath Shinde-led Maharashtra government. Recently, the Election Commission of India (ECI) recognised the Ajit Pawar faction as the real NCP and allotted the party symbol 'clock' to it.