As NCP chief Sharad Pawar’s speech in the pouring rain today completed a year, the party celebrated the moment by posting a video on Twitter. Even Sharad Pawar's daughter and NCP MP Supriya Sule tweeted on the occasion. Pawar’s grandnephew and party legislator Rohit Pawar also recalled that moment.
The party tweeted a video of how BJP's Devendra Fadnavis had said during his poll campaign that Pawar was finished. The NCP also highlighted PM Narendra Modi's statement that the party was slipping out of Pawar's hands. Home Minister Anil Deshmukh tweeted that Pawar was like lightning and the Satara rally was a message to the ‘Delhi throne’.
Party legislator Shashikant Shinde in a tweet said, “Anniversary of Pawar’s historic meeting in Satara. Every word has a new thought. His name is Sharad Pawar.” Party treasurer Hemant Takle wrote a poem recalling his 60 years in public life and commitment to the people.
The NCP patriarch continued to address the crowd despite heavy rain. "The rain god has blessed NCP for the October 21 election. And with the blessings of the rain god, Satara district will create a miracle in Maharashtra. That miracle will begin from October 21," he told the gathering. Pawar’s speech turned NCP’s prospects ahead of the voting.
The speech also helped NCP make major gains in Pune district and win 10 assembly seats, seven more than its 2014 tally. The NCP finished third with 54 seats, 13 more than its 2014 tally of 41 seats in the assembly polls. Congress, which was relegated to the fourth position, also said that Pawar's Satara speech had helped the party.
A year after, the Pawar-led party is a ruling partner in the Maha Vikas Aghadi and the NCP chief has emerged as a guide and mentor for CMUddhav Thackeray. He has been at the forefront to counter BJP, which has been issuing new deadlines for the collapse of the MVA government and also focusing on NCP’s consolidation in the state. Last week, Pawar strongly supported CM Uddhav Thackeray in his reply to Governor BS Koshyari and expressed strong disappointment over the erosion of the standards of conduct by the high constitutional office of the governor.
