On Tuesday, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief and veteran politician, Sharad Pawar hinted that he would leave parliamentary politics.
Speaking at a rally in Baramati, ahead of the 2024 Maharashtra Assembly Elections, Sharad Pawar stated that he has one and a half years left in his present term in the Rajya Sabha and will determine whether to run for another term once this one ends. The 84-year-old Sharad Pawar hinted to a potential departure from the Upper House when he remarked, “I will have to think whether to go in Rajya Sabha again or not”.
The Pawar senior was campaigning for his grandnephew Yugendra Pawar, an NCP (SP) candidate running against his uncle Ajit Pawar in the assembly election scheduled for November 20.
Sharad Pawar, a political mainstay in India, has been crucial over the years, both in Maharashtra and nationally. The political climate in Maharashtra may be greatly impacted by Sharad Pawar’s potential exit from parliamentary politics, as the NCP gets ready for the next state assembly election. Being a major player in Maharashtra politics for more than 50 years, party leaders and supporters have been attentively observing his recent public speeches for clues about his long-term goals.
‘No doubt about work done by Ajit Pawar, but….’: Sharad Pawar
In addition to praising Ajit Pawar, the Deputy Chief minister, for his contributions to Baramati, Sharad Pawar stated that the areas require a new leader in order to progress during the ensuing thirty years.
Speaking at a gathering at Shirsuphal, Baramati, the leader of the NCP (SP) claimed that the race for the Baramati Lok Sabha seat earlier this year was challenging since it was fought inside the family and that the people of the area will now face similar circumstances five months later. In the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, Baramati MP Supriya Sule defeated Sunetra Pawar, the wife of Ajit Pawar and her sister-in-law. Yugendra Pawar is the son of Ajit Pawar’s younger brother Srinivas Pawar.
Pawar said, “You have made me the chief minister not once or twice but four times. You elected me in 1967, and I worked here for 25 years before moving on to work for Maharashtra. I handed over all local powers to Ajit dada, entrusting him with all decisions, to plan for programs and elections for local bodies, sugar and milk bodies”. He said Ajit Pawar worked in the region for 25 to 30 years, and there was no doubt about the work he did. “Now, it’s time to prepare for the future. We need to groom leadership that will work for the next 30 years,” the former Union minister said, adding that everyone should get an opportunity, and he has never held anyone back.
Sharad Pawar stated, seemingly in a jab at Ajit Pawar, “if someone keeps saying he will take everything, people may not say anything but will disapprove of it. Though he hadn’t come to ask for votes recently, the people of Baramati have never disappointed him”.
Read Also: US Presidential Elections 2024: Kamala Harris Not To Address Supporters Tonight
