NCP Founder Sharad Pawar Defies Rain to Deliver Speech
Despite heavy rainfall, Sharad Pawar, the founder of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), delivered a speech on Sunday, reminiscent of his influential address in October 2019 that supposedly altered his party’s fate in the previous Maharashtra assembly elections. In the evening, Pawar attended a party event in Navi Mumbai, which had been experiencing rain since morning. As he began speaking, light showers followed.
However, the veteran politician, who will turn 83 next month, remained undeterred. “Our plans here have been disrupted by the rains today. But we are the people who won’t surrender easily or backtrack. We need to continue our struggle in the future as well,” he said amidst the rain, seemingly referring to his nephew Ajit Pawar’s aggressive plans to take control of the party.
Photos and videos of the rain-soaked NCP chief at the event quickly went viral on social media, with his supporters reminiscing about his speech four years ago.
On October 18, 2019, just three days before the Maharashtra assembly polls, Pawar was in Satara campaigning for an NCP candidate for Lok Sabha bypolls. Just as he was about to address the rally, heavy rainfall began. Despite being offered an umbrella, Pawar declined and stated that the rain god had blessed the NCP. The Satara Lok Sabha bypoll took place alongside the assembly elections.
Photos and videos of Pawar addressing the rally, completely drenched in rain, became an internet sensation, spreading widely on social media. The NCP secured 54 seats in the assembly polls, finishing third and increasing its tally by 13 seats compared to 2014. The Congress, which was pushed to fourth place, also acknowledged that Pawar’s speech in Satara had aided the party.
Now, Pawar is facing a different battle, as his nephew Ajit Pawar and several senior leaders broke away from the NCP in July and joined forces with the BJP and Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena to form the government. Ajit Pawar’s NCP faction has approached the Election Commission to claim the party’s name and election symbol, with Ajit Pawar asserting the support of over 40 MLAs.
