NCP split: Rahul meets Sharad Pawar in Delhi

Rahul Gandhi met Sharad Pawar, the head of the NCP, at his flat in Delhi on Thursday to show his support for the veteran leader amid a mutiny in his party. Gandhi landed at the NCP veteran’s official address, 6, Janpath. Sharad Pawar appointed himself the party’s leader during a news conference following the NCP’s national executive meeting after the party split.

Before the meeting, Sharad Pawar support posters put up in front of the NCP office. Some said that Sharad Pawar has the support of the entire nation in the struggle between truth and lies. Another sign posted in front of Pawar’s Delhi home said, “India’s history is such that it has never forgive those who have betrayed.”

The Pawar family conflict played out on stage on Wednesday as NCP groups led by Sharad Pawar and his nephew conducted competing gatherings in the southern Mumbai suburb of Bhujbal Knowledge City and the Bandra suburb of Yashwantrao Chavan Centre, respectively.

NCP leader Ajit Pawar took office as the deputy chief minister of Maharashtra, joining forces with Devendra Fadnavis and CM Eknath Shinde. Pawar, along with eight other MLAs, joined the Eknath Shinde-led Maharashtra government and claimed control over the Nationalist Congress Party. He urged Sharad Pawar to step down and give a chance to the new generation, stating that even Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders retire at 75. Pawar praised Pawar’s achievements, stating that he had seen BJP leaders retire at 75, allowing the new generation to rise. Later, NCP’s working president Supriya Sule urged Pawar not to disrespect her father.