M K Stalin appeals to Sharad Pawar to reconsider his decision to step down as NCP chief

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin on Friday appealed to veteran leader Sharad Pawar to reconsider his decision to quit as the president of NCP, keeping in mind his role in forging a "secular alliance" ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.

Sharad Pawar should continue leading that party, the ruling DMK chief said on a day when a key meeting of top Nationalist Congress Party leaders in Mumbai rejected Pawar's decisiont to resign.

"With national politics centred around upcoming 2024 General Elections, I request Thiru. @PawarSpeaks, one of the tallest leaders, crucial in strengthening secular alliance across India, to reconsider his decision to relinquish the President post of @NCPspeaks and continue to lead NCP," he said in a tweet.

The Tamil Nadu CM also tagged Sharad Pawar's daughter Supriya Sule, a Lok Sabha member, in the tweet.

Sharad Pawar on Tuesday sprang a surprise by announcing his decision to quit as president of the party he founded and headed since 1999 when he left the Congress to chart his own political course.

The announcement, made at an event, stumped leaders and workers of the 24-year-old party.

Sharad Pawar, a Rajya Sabha MP and one of the stalwarts of the Opposition, had said he was stepping down as NCP chief but was not retiring from public life.