Who is Sharad Pawar

Sharadchandra Govindrao Pawar also known as Sharad Pawar former Chief Minister of Maharashtra. Additionally, he is the founder and former leader of the Nationalist Congress Party. Apparently, Pawar decided to step down as the NCP leader on May 2, 2023. Sharad Pawar was born on December 12, 1940 to Govindrao Pawar and Shardabai Pawar.

He graduated from Brihan Maharashtra College of Commerce in Pune. Pawar is married to Pratibha, who is the daughter of cricketer Sadashiv Shinde. The couple has a daughter named Supriya Sule, who represents Baramati constituency in the 17th Lok Sabha. Interestingly, Sharad Power is the oldest and oldest member of the Pawar political family of Maharashtra.

Personal life

Sharad Pawar was born on the 12th day of December 1940 in Baramati village in Pune district, Maharashtra to Govindrao Pawar and Shardabai Pawar. He is married to Pratibha and has a daughter named Supriya. Sharad Pawar is an average student and studied at Brihan Maharashtra College of Commerce in Pune. He was active in student politics and his first political debut was in 1956 when he planned and organized a protest in Pravaranagar for the independence of Goa.

Sharad Pawar’s Career

In 1967, Pawar entered the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly from Baramati as a representative of the Congress Party. In 1978, he left the Congress Party to form the government in alliance with the opposition. He thus became the Chief Minister of Maharashtra for the first time. This was when Indira Gandhi was hated for pointing out that there was an emergency in the country. In February 1980, the Progressive Democratic Front government ended when the Congress Party under the leadership of Indira Gandhi came to power.

After that, Sharad Pawar was the Leader of Opposition in the State Assembly. It was in 1984 when he was first elected as a member of the Lok Sabha. In 1985, he won the State Assembly elections as the Indian (Socialist) Congress Party won 54 of the 288 seats in the State Assembly, making him the leader of the opposition. So he resigned from the Lok Sabha. In 1987, Sharad Pawar decided to return to the Congress Party (I) after nine years. In 1988, Rajiv Gandhi, the president and president of the Congress (I), replaced Maharashtra Chief Minister Shankarro Chavan with Sharad Pawar and Shankarro appointed as the finance minister.

Mr. Pawar was tasked with overseeing the rise of the Shiv Sena in state politics. In the 1990 elections, the alliance of the Bhartiya Janata Party and the Shiv Sena seemed to be a serious challenge for the Congress Party (I), but the Congress Party (I) still won 141 seats out of 288, so Sharad Pawar once again . . became the Chief Minister of Maharashtra again with the support of 12 independent MPs. Soon, he started the Congress Party’s campaign for the 1991 midterm parliamentary elections. The Congress won 38 out of 48 seats in the state elections.

After the assassination of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, P.V. Narsimha Rao became the Prime Minister of India and Sharad Pawar became the Defense Minister. After that, Mr. Pawar became the Chief Minister of Maharashtra after Sudhakarrao Naik, the then Chief Minister, resigned from his post. He was elected the Chief Minister of Maharashtra for the fourth time in 1993 and it was then that Mumbai witnessed several bomb attacks. In the 1995 Vidhan Sabha elections, the Shiv Sena allied with the BJP and won 138 seats.

Manohar Joshi succeeded Sharad Pawar and became the Chief Minister of Maharashtra. Again in the general elections of 1996, Mr. Pawar won Baramati comfortably. It also served as a starting point for the opposition in the 12th Lok Sabha. In June 1999, Sharad Pawar along with PA Sangma formed the Nationalist Congress Party. Later, after the 2004 election, he joined the United Progressive Alliance government as the Minister of Agriculture and Food, which was chaired by Manmohan Singh, the Prime Minister of India.

On November 29, 2005, Sharad Pawar was appointed the chairman of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). On May 28, 2009, he was appointed Minister of Agriculture and Consumption, Food and Social Distribution of the Union. It was then that the allegation that he was involved in the multi-million wheat import scam came to light. Due to this allegation, the BJP asked him to resign.

Until 2007, Mr. Pawar served as the vice-president of the International Cricket Council (ICC). In 2010, however, he became the president of the ICC. He is only the second Indian after Jagmohan Dalmiya to hold this position. It is associated with many sports associations like Maharashtra Olympic Association, Wrestling Association, Kabbadi Association and Kho Kho Association. Along with these, he is also associated with the Mumbai Cricket Association and is the Chairman of the Pune International Marathon Trust.

Achievements of Sharad Pawar

Sharad Pawar is celebrating his 79th birthday on December 12. The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) is an important face in Indian politics and regional politics in Maharashtra. He spent more than 50 years, holding important posts such as Defense Minister, Agriculture Minister, Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution in the Union Cabinet.

He also served as the Chief Minister of Maharashtra three times between 1978-1980, 1988-1991 and 1993-1995. Sharad Pawar was the chairman of the Board of Cricket Control India from 2005 to 2008, the Chairman of the International Cricket Council from 2010 to 2012. He was appointed the president of the Mumbai Cricket Association between 2001-2010, 2012 and 2015.