Hours after his shocking declaration to step down as the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief, veteran leader Sharad Pawar on Tuesday agreed to rethink his decision and announce his final decision in the next few days, according to his nephew Ajit Pawar.

“We all leaders have met him and convinced him on the issue. Pawar Saheb has agreed to reconsider. Let’s give him 2-3 days to make his decision,” the veteran leader’s nephew told reporters in Mumbai.

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However, the senior Pawar did not appreciate the protests by his party’s senior leaders and workers on his decision to quit after 24 years at the helm.

Sharad Pawar and other leaders later made an appeal to all party workers sitting near the Y B Chavan Auditorium and other parts of Maharashtra to call off all their protests and go home peacefully.

Earlier in the day, the senior Pawar announced his decision to step down, saying it was necessary to take a step back. “I have three years left of the Rajya Sabha membership during which I will focus on issues related to Maharashtra and India, with a caveat of not taking up any responsibility. 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,” the 82-year-old leader said during the release of his autobiography, ‘Lok Majhe Sangati – Political Autobiography’.

Pawar, who was expelled from the Congress before he formed NCP in 1999 for opposing Sonia Gandhi’s candidature for the prime ministership due to her foreign origins, announced the formation of a committee consisting of top leaders to find his successor.

The panel includes leaders like 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, Dr. Jitendra Awhad, Hasan Mushrif, Dhananjay Munde, and Jaydev Gaikwad. Other ex-officio members are: NCP Mahila Congress President Fauzia Khan, NCP Youth Congress President Dheeraj Sharma and NCP Student Congress President Sonia Duhan, agencies said.

However, NCP leaders and workers, who were shocked by Pawar’s announcement, made vociferous calls for him to reconsider his decision. Many of them were in tears as they recalled his contribution to the party and making it a force to reckon with not only in Maharashtra but other parts of the country too.

State NCP President Jayant Patil broke down, other senior leaders like Praful Patel, Chhagan Bhujbal, Dilip Walse-Patil Narhari Zirwal, and many more said the decision was ‘not acceptable,’ made fervent appeals and ‘begged’ Pawar to retract.

Senior leaders like Ajit Pawar, state party chief Jayant Patil and others attempted to pacify the party workers and the lower-rung leaders and urged them to remain calm.

Pawar, however, said he would continue to strive for the growth of the organisation, to take the ideology and goals of the party to the people, and to serve the people, as they deem fit. Even though he was stepping down from the post of president, he was not retiring from public life, he said.