Jitendra Awhad resigns as general secretary, other Thane netas too quit

MUMBAI: NCP legislator Jitendra Awhad on Wednesday resigned from the post of party general secretary and the party's Thane city president Anand Paranjape and some other functionaries stepped down on Wednesday.
Awhad said, "For several decades, we have been staunch followers of Sharad Pawar. All along, Pawar has been saying that the people's mandate is very important in a democracy. Without consulting senior party leaders, Pawar unilaterally quit the party post. In my opinion, Pawar's decision is against his own principles. Under such circumstances, I too have decided to quit the party post."
Awhad said Pawar had taken the decision to quit at a juncture when he had taken a firm stand for protecting democratic institutions and saving the Constitution. "Pawar is the main link of opposition parties across the country, and we feel he should reconsider his decision and withdraw his resignation," he said. When asked, Awhad refused to comment on talk of cousins Ajit Pawar and Supriya Sule being elevated to leadership positions, saying that his focus was only to ensure that Sharad Pawar retained the top party post.