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Sharadrao Pawar | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Pawar in 2013 | |
| Member of Parliament,Rajya Sabha | |
| Assumed office 3 April 2014 | |
| Preceded by | Y. P. Trivedi |
| Constituency | Maharashtra |
| President of the Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) | |
| Assumed office 8 February 2024 | |
| Preceded by | office established |
| 9thPresident of the International Cricket Council (ICC) | |
| In office 2010–2012 | |
| Preceded by | David Morgan |
| Succeeded by | Alan Isaac |
| 28thUnion Minister of Agriculture | |
| In office 23 May 2004 – 26 May 2014 | |
| Prime Minister | Manmohan Singh |
| Preceded by | Rajnath Singh |
| Succeeded by | Radha Mohan Singh |
| 9thUnion Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution | |
| In office 22 May 2004 – 19 January 2011 | |
| Prime Minister | Manmohan Singh |
| Preceded by | Sharad Yadav |
| Succeeded by | K. V. Thomas |
| 9thLeader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha | |
| In office 19 March 1998 – 26 April 1999 | |
| Prime Minister | Atal Bihari Vajpayee |
| Speaker | G. M. C. Balayogi |
| Preceded by | Atal Bihari Vajpayee |
| Succeeded by | Sonia Gandhi |
| 15thUnion Minister of Defence | |
| In office 1991–1993 | |
| Prime Minister | P. V. Narasimha Rao |
| Preceded by | Chandra Shekhar |
| Succeeded by | P. V. Narasimha Rao |
| Member of Parliament,Lok Sabha | |
| In office 2009–2014 | |
| Preceded by | constituency established |
| Succeeded by | Vijaysinh Mohite–Patil |
| Constituency | Madha, Maharashtra |
| In office 1996–2009 | |
| Preceded by | Bapusaheb Thite |
| Succeeded by | Supriya Sule |
| Constituency | Baramati, Maharashtra |
| In office 1991–1993 | |
| Preceded by | Ajit Pawar |
| Succeeded by | Bapusaheb Thite |
| Constituency | Baramati, Maharashtra |
| In office 1984–1985 | |
| Preceded by | Shankarrao Bajirao Patil |
| Succeeded by | Sambhajirao Kakade |
| Constituency | Baramati, Maharashtra |
| 6thChief Minister of Maharashtra | |
| In office 6 March 1993 – 14 March 1995 | |
| Preceded by | Sudhakarrao Naik |
| Succeeded by | Manohar Joshi |
| In office 26 June 1988 – 25 June 1991 | |
| Preceded by | Shankarrao Chavan |
| Succeeded by | Sudhakarrao Naik |
| In office 18 July 1978 – 17 February 1980 | |
| Preceded by | Vasantdada Patil |
| Succeeded by | President's rule |
| Member ofMaharashtra Legislative Assembly | |
| In office 1967–1991 | |
| Preceded by | Malatibai Madhavrao Shirole |
| Succeeded by | Ajit Pawar |
| Constituency | Baramati |
| Member of Maharashtra Legislative Council | |
| In office 1993–1996 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Sharadchandra Govindrao Pawar (1940-12-12)12 December 1940 (age 84)[1] |
| Political party | Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar)(2024–present) |
| Other political affiliations | Indian National Congress(1958–1999) Nationalist Congress Party(1999–2024) |
| Spouse | |
| Relations |
|
| Children | Supriya Sule (daughter) |
| Residence | |
| Profession |
|
| Website | sharadpawar |
As of 29 October, 2010 Source:[5] | |
Sharadchandra Govindrao Pawar, pronunciation:[ʃəɾəd̪ pəʋaːɾ], born 12 December 1940)[1] is an Indian politician.[2] Pawar served four terms as theChief Minister of Maharashtra and held cabinet positions in theUnion Council of Ministers, including theMinister of Defence underP. V. Narasimha Rao andMinister of Agriculture underManmohan Singh. He founded theNationalist Congress Party (NCP) in 1999, following a split from theIndian National Congress,The split occurred because they questioned Sonia Gandhi’s foreign origin and argued that India’s Prime Minister should be a natural-born citizen. This ideological conflict led to the creation of a new party based on principles of nationalism, secularism, and democratic governance. and has served as President since its inception. Pawar leads his faction of the NCP in theRajya Sabha, the upper house[3] of the Indian parliament. He is the Chairperson ofMaha Vikas Aghadi, a regionalMaharashtra-based political alliance. And He is also Recognized as TheChanakya of Indian Politics[4].
Born inBaramati,Maharashtra, Pawar is the patriarch of thePawar political family that includes his daughterSupriya Sule, nephewAjit Pawar, and grandnephewRohit Rajendra Pawar.[5][6][7][8]
Pawar served as the President of theBoard of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) from 2005 to 2008 and of theInternational Cricket Council (ICC) from 2010 to 2012.[9] He also headed theMumbai Cricket Association from October 2013 to January 2017.[10]
In 2017, he was awarded thePadma Vibhushan, India’s second-highest civilian honor.[11]
Sharad Pawar is one of eleven children born to Govindrao Pawar and Shardabai Pawar.[12] Govindrao's ancestors were relocated to Baramati from the nearbySatara region. Govindrao had a long career with theSahakari Kharedi Vikri Sangh, aBaramatiFarmers' Cooperative. He also managedShahu Boarding, a student hostel, during the 1940s.[13] In the 1950s, he was involved in the establishment ofcooperative sugar mills in the area.
Govindrao Pawar was elected to the district local board three times between 1937 and 1952.[14] He also managed his family's farm located in Katewadi, ten kilometres fromBaramati.[15] Sharad Pawar completed his education up to the 10th standard (SSC) under theMaharashtra State Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education at Maharashtra Education Society's High School in Baramati.[16]
Pawar is married to Pratibha (née Shinde), daughter of the test cricketerSadashiv Shinde. Their daughterSupriya Sule represents theBaramati constituency in the17th Lok Sabha.
He is a senior member of the Pawar political family of Maharashtra. The family has two Members of Parliament and two Members of thestate Legislative Assembly. Among them,Ajit Pawar was the deputychief minister of Maharashtra.[17][7][18][19]
Pratap Pawar, Pawar's younger brother, runs theMarathi daily newspaperSakal. One of Pawar's nephews,Ajit Pawar, is also a politician and currently serves as one of the twoDeputy Chief Ministers of Maharashtra.[20] His grandnephewRohit Rajendra Pawar represents the Karjat constituency in theMaharashtra Vidhan Sabha.[21]
Pawar's first political activity was organizing a protest march forGoan Independence inPravaranagar in 1956.[20] Although his older lawyer brother belonged to thePeasants and Workers Party, Pawar preferred the Congress party and joined the Youth Congress in 1958.[20] He later became the president of thePoona district (nowPune district) Youth Congress in 1962, and by 1964 had become one of two secretaries of theMaharashtra Youth Congress.[22]
In 1967, when he was 27, Pawar was nominated as the candidate for theBaramati of theMaharashtra Legislative Assembly over more established members by the undividedCongress Party.[23] He won the election and represented the constituency from 1967 to 1990. In 1969, when the Congress Party split after the1969 Indian presidential election, he opted for theCongress(R) faction of Prime MinisterIndira Gandhi, along with his mentorYashwantrao Chavan.
As the MLA ofBaramati in the early 1970s, he was instrumental in buildingpercolation tanks during asevere drought in Maharashtra. He was also heavily involved in the politics of the localcooperative sugar mills and other member-runcooperative societies.
In the early 1970s, theChief Minister at the time,Vasantrao Naik, had been in power for almost a decade, and there was jockeying for succession among different factions of the state Congress party. Prominent leaders such asShankarrao Chavan, who was a key figure inMaharashtra politics, and other emerging leaders were among those positioning themselves for influence and potential leadership roles. At that time, looking to the future leadership of the party,Yashwantrao Chavan persuaded Naik to bring Pawar into his cabinet as state home affairs minister in March 1972.[24]
In the1977 Lok Sabha elections, The Congress Party, underIndira Gandhi, lost power to theJanata Alliance. Taking responsibility for the loss of a large number of seats in Maharashtra, Chief MinisterShankarrao Chavan resigned shortly afterwards and was replaced byVasantdada Patil. Later that year, the Congress Party split again, with Pawar's mentorYashwantrao Chavan joining one faction,Congress (U), andIndira Gandhi leading her faction,Congress (I). Pawar joined the Congress (U) faction. In thestate assembly elections held early in 1978, the two Congress parties ran separately but then allied to keep power forVasantdada Patil. This was in response to the rise and success of theJanata Party, which emerged as the minority government after the election. Pawar served as Minister of Industry and Labour under the Patil government.[25]
In July 1978, Pawar broke away from theCongress (U) party to form a coalition government with the Janata Party. In the process, at the age of 38, he became the youngestChief Minister of Maharashtra.[26][27][28] ThisProgressive Democratic Front (PDF) government was dismissed in February 1980, followingIndira Gandhi's return to power.
In the 1980 elections,Congress (I) won the majority in the state assembly, andA.R. Antulay took over as chief minister. Pawar took over the Presidency of his ownCongress (S) party in 1983. For the first time, he won theLok Sabha election from theBaramati parliamentary constituency in 1984. He also won the state assembly election of March 1985 from Baramati and preferred to return to state politics, resigning his Lok Sabha seat. Congress (S) won 54 seats out of 288 in the state assembly, and Pawar became theleader of the opposition of the Progressive Democratic Front coalition, which included theBJP, PWP, and theJanata party.[29]
Pawar's return to Congress (I) in 1987 has been cited as a reason for the rise of theShiv Sena during that period.[29] At the time, Pawar stated that his decision was driven by "the need to save the Congress Culture inMaharashtra". In June 1988,Prime Minister of India and Congress PresidentRajiv Gandhi inducted then Maharashtra Chief MinisterShankarrao Chavan into his Union Cabinet as Finance Minister; Pawar was chosen to replace Chavan as the Chief minister. Pawar had the task of checking the rise of theShiv Sena in state politics, which was a potential challenge to the dominance of the Congress in the state.[30] In the1989 Lok Sabha elections, Congress won 28 seats out of 48 in Maharashtra. In the state assembly elections of February 1990, the alliance between theShiv Sena and theBharatiya Janata Party posed a stiff challenge to Congress. Congress fell short of an absolute majority in the state assembly, winning 141 seats out of 288. Pawar was sworn in as chief minister again on 4 March 1990, with the support of 12 independentmembers of the legislative assembly (MLAs).[citation needed]
During the 1991 election campaign, formerPrime MinisterRajiv Gandhi wasassassinated. The party electedP.V. Narasimha Rao as the party president. It was expected that the party president would become the prime minister in the event of a Congress victory.[31][32] However, Pawar at that time had talked about the distinction between the party president and prime minister.[citation needed] Since the Congress contingent from Maharashtra was the largest, Pawar felt he had a legitimate claim for the post of prime minister. However, Pawar eventually decided not to enter the contest. TheCongress Parliamentary Party (party MPs) unanimously elected P.V. Narasimha Rao as their leader, and he was sworn in as prime minister on 21 June 1991.[33] Rao named Pawar asdefence minister. On 26 June 1991, Pawar took over that portfolio and held it until March 1993. After Pawar's successor in Maharashtra,Sudhakarrao Naik, stepped down following theBombay riots, Rao asked Pawar to serve again as chief minister of the state. Pawar was sworn in as chief minister for his fourth term on 6 March 1993. Almost immediately, Mumbai experienced a series ofbomb blasts, on 12 March 1993. Pawar's response to the blasts attracted controversy. More than a decade later, Pawar admitted that he had "deliberately misled" people following the bombings by saying that there were "13 and not 12" explosions, and had added the name of a Muslim-dominated locality to show that people from both communities had been affected.[34] He attempted to justify this deception by claiming that it was a move to prevent communal riots, by falsely portraying that both Hindu and Muslim communities in the city had been affected adversely. He also admitted to lying about evidence recovered and misleading people into believing that it pointed to theTamil Tigers as possible suspects.[34]
In 1993, the Deputy Commissioner of theBrihanmumbai Municipal Corporation,G. R. Khairnar, made a series of accusations against Pawar for being involved in corruption and protecting criminals.[35][36] Though Khairnar could not produce any evidence in support of his claims, it inevitably affected Pawar's popularity. Notable social workerAnna Hazare started a fast-unto-death to demand the expulsion of 12 officers of the Maharashtra state forest department who had been accused of corruption. The opposition parties accused Pawar's government of trying to shield the corrupt officers.[37]
The1994 Gowari stampede occurred atNagpur, during thewinter session of the state assembly, and killed 114 people.Nagpur Police were trying to disperse almost 50,000Gowari andVanjari protesters usingbaton charges but the police created panic and triggered a stampede amongst protesters.[38] Allegations were made that the mishap occurred because welfare minister Madhukarrao Pichad did not meet with the delegation of theVanjari people in time. Though Pichad, accepting responsibility for the mishap, stepped down, this incident was another setback to Pawar's government.[citation needed]
After 16 years of protest by theNamantar Andolan (Name-change Movement), the state government finally renamedMarathwada University asDr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Marathwada University on 14 January 1994, the compromise new name being an expansion of the old name (Namvistar) rather than a complete change of name (Namanatar). As chief minister, Pawar announced a few developments in university departments.[39][clarification needed]
New elections to theVidhan Sabha were held in 1995. TheShiv Sena-BJP coalition was leading Congress in the polls, and there was widespread rebellion in the Congress party.[citation needed] Shiv Sena-BJP won 138 seats while Congress retained only 80 seats in the state assembly. Pawar had to step down, and Shiv Sena leaderManohar Joshi took over as chief minister on 14 March 1995. Until the Lok Sabha elections of 1996, Pawar served as theLeader of the Opposition in the state assembly. In the 1996General elections, Pawar won the Baramati seat in the Lok Sabha and left the state assembly.[citation needed]
In June 1997, Pawar unsuccessfully challengedSitaram Kesri for the post ofPresident of the Indian National Congress. In the mid-term parliamentary elections of 1998, Pawar not only won his constituency, Baramati but also led Congress to a win by a large majority[clarification needed] of Maharashtra Lok Sabha constituencies. Congress was aligned with theRepublican Party of India (Athvale) andSamajwadi Party for the Lok Sabha elections in Maharashtra. The Congress party won 33 Lok Sabha seats outright, and the allied Republican Party of India won 4 more, for a total of 37 out of 48 in the state. Pawar served as Leader of the Opposition in the 12th Lok Sabha.[citation needed]
In 1999, after the 12th Lok Sabha was dissolved and elections to the 13th Lok Sabha were called, Pawar,P. A. Sangma, andTariq Anwar demanded that the party propose someone native-born as the prime ministerial candidate, instead of the Italian-bornSonia Gandhi, who had entered party politics and replaced Kesri as Congress president. This led to the trio's expulsion from the party by theCongress Working Committee (CWC).[40] In response, Pawar and Sangma founded theNationalist Congress Party in June 1999. Despite the falling out, the new party aligned with the Congress party to form a coalition government in Maharashtra after the1999 state assembly elections to prevent the Shiv Sena-BJP combine from returning to power.[41] Pawar, however, did not return to state politics andVilasrao Deshmukh of Congress was chosen as chief minister, withChagan Bhujbal representing theNCP as deputy chief minister.
After the 2004 Lok Sabha elections, Pawar joined theUnited Progressive Alliance (UPA) government headed by Prime MinisterManmohan Singh as theMinister of Agriculture.[42] He retained his portfolio when the UPA coalition government was reelected in 2009. He faced several crises and controversies during his tenure as Agriculture minister. Critics also point out that during his tenure as the minister of agriculture, he spent more time on cricket in his role as the president of BCCI than on his ministerial duties.[14]
In 2007, theBJP asked for Pawar's resignation after alleging he was involved in a multi-crore Indian rupee (INR) scam involving wheat imports. In May 2007, a tender floated by theFood Corporation of India (FCI) for the procurement of wheat was cancelled when the lowest bid received was for US$263/ton. The government subsequently allowed private traders to purchase wheat directly from farmers that year, resulting in a paucity of wheat to stock FCI granaries. By July 2007, the shortage at FCI was large enough to require the import of wheat at a much higher price of 320–360 USD/ton. Taking advantage of this, traders who had domestically purchased wheat at 900 INR/ton earlier were now offering the same to FCI at 1,300 INR/ton.[43][44]
As the Minister of Agriculture, Pawar was consistently accused of colluding in the extreme hike in prices of agricultural produce:
Since the 1990s, India has witnessed a high number of farmer suicides- over 10,000 each year, totaling more than 200,000 between 1997 and 2010.[49] In 2006, as the Minister of Agriculture, Pawar was criticized for downplaying the rate of farmer suicide in the country.[50] However, he claimed at that time that his department was taking the necessary steps to reduce the numbers.[51][citation needed] His ministry initiated a series of government inquiries to look into the causes of farmers' suicides in 2012. In 2013, Pawar admitted that the suicides were a serious issue with many factors being responsible, and he said the government was increasing investment in agriculture and raising minimum prices of crops to increase farmers' income.[52]
Even though the pesticideendosulfan has been banned, India is slow to phase it out.[citation needed] Despite of its knownnegative health effects, Pawar remarked that endosulfan has not yet proved dangerous. This remark prompted activist Dr.Vandana Shiva to call him a corrupt minister.[53][54][55]
In 2012, Pawar gave up the chairmanship of the Empowered Group of Ministers investigating the2G spectrum case, days after his appointment by the prime minister, fearing that his association with the decision-making process would drag him into the 2G Spectrum controversy.[56] In 2011, he resigned from the committee that was reviewing the draft of the anti-corruptionLokpal bill after his involvement was criticized by the anti-corruption campaigner,Anna Hazare.[57]
In January 2012, Pawar announced that he would not contest the 2014Lok Sabha elections, to make way for young leadership.[58] Pawar is at present a member of theRajya Sabha. He was elected to the body in April 2014 for a six-year term. He lost his ministerial position after the BJP-led NDA defeated the ruling UPA government, in which Pawar was the minister of agriculture, in the2014 general elections.[59] Pawar's NCP also lost power in Maharashtra after the2014 assembly elections. The BJP won a plurality of seats in the new assembly and initially formed a minority government with outside support from the NCP.[60] The BJP's estranged ally, the Shiv Sena later joined the BJP-led government, and that government then did not need the support of the NCP. In May 2017, Pawar ruled out being a candidate for the June2017 Indian presidential election.[61]
In the 2019 elections to theLok Sabha, Pawar's NCP and the Congress party had a seat-sharing arrangement.[62] Similarly, despite ideological differences, the BJP andShiv Sena once again contested the elections together under theNational Democratic Alliance (NDA) banner.[63] The election resulted in a landslide victory toNarendra Modi's BJP. Out of the 48 seats inMaharashtra, the Congress party won only one seat in the state, whereas the NCP won five seats from its stronghold of western Maharashtra.[64]
The 2019 Lok Sabha elections were followed by elections to theVidhan Sabha in October 2019.[citation needed] Predictions for the state's ruling BJP–Shiv Sena alliance to win by a large margin led to a steady stream of defections from the NCP to the ruling alliance. Pawar was the star campaigner for the NCP-Congress alliance in the state. His campaigning during the assembly election was credited with helping not only the NCP but also the leaderless Congress party.[65] Against predictions, the actual voting left the ruling alliance with fewer seats than in 2014. Differences between the Shiv Sena and the BJP led to a month ofpolitical drama, with Pawar and his family playing a pivotal role. The drama ended with the NCP coming back into power on 28 November 2019, as part of acoalition between Shiv Sena, Congress, and the NCP, led by the Shiv Sena chief,Uddhav Thackeray, as the newchief minister of Maharashtra.[66]
In June 2020, Pawar was re-elected to theRajya Sabha.[67]
Sharad Pawar, the founder and chief of NCP since 1999, announced his decision to step down from his post and also his unwillingness to contest elections in the future, at the launch of the second edition of his political memoirs 'Lok Maze Sangati' ('People Accompany Me'). Sharad Pawar has had a long period of public life from 1 May 1958 to 1 May 2023.[68]
Sharad Pawar took back his decision to step down as national leader of the National Congress Party, citing "strong sentiments" his resignation had evoked among the party workers as well as leaders across the country. The octogenarian leader clarified that he would focus on assigning new responsibilities through organizational changes and creating new leadership.[69]
In July 2023, Ajit Pawar rebelled against Sharad Pawar, joined the ruling BJP-Shiv Sena government, and took oath as Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra. A majority of NCP's sitting MLAs deserted the party in support of Ajit Pawar. He claimed to the Election Commission that he was the president of the NCP.[attribution needed] Later, in his followers' first public meeting, he claimed ownership over the party, including both its name and election symbol. This rebellion resulted in a schism in the party, between those who stayed loyal to Sharad Pawar and those who supported Ajit Pawar, similar to the2022 Shiv Sena political crisis.[70] He also launched theSharad Pawar Inspire Fellowship (2024–25) aimed at empowering agriculture graduates, underscoring his long-standing focus on rural and farming issues.[71] In late 2024, Pawar, while addressing a meeting aBaramati stated that he may not seek re‑election to theRajya Sabha when his current term ends in April 2026, signaling a possible gradual withdrawal from active parliamentary politics.[72]
Pawar has been appointed a member of the Coordination Committee of theIndian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance at its Mumbai convention on 1 September 2023.[73][74] The coordination committee will decide the national agenda, common campaign issues and common program of the country's main opposition alliance (I.N.D.I.A.).
| Election | Year | Party | Constituency | Opponent | Result | Margin | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maharashtra Legislative Assembly | 1967 | INC | Baramati | Won | N/A | ||||
| 1972 | INC | Won | N/A | ||||||
| 1978 | INC | JP | More Vijay Hanumantrao | Won | 18,638 | ||||
| 1980 | INC(U) | INC(I) | Chopade Marutrao Dhondiba | Won | 28,369 | ||||
| 1985 | IC(S) | INC | Kakade Shahajiraje Mugutrao | Won | 18,044 | ||||
| 1990 | INC | IND | Chopade Marutrao Dhondiba | Won | 88,223 | ||||
| Loksabha | 1984 | IC(S) | Baramati | INC | Patil Shankarrao Bajirao | Won | 140,532 | ||
| 1991^ | INC | Won | N/A | ||||||
| 1996 | INC | IND | Shankarrao Bajirao Patil | Won | 160,501 | ||||
| 1998 | INC | BJP | Kakade Viraj Babulal | Won | 268,184 | ||||
| 1999 | NCP | BJP | Dr Pratibha Lokhande | Won | 298,903 | ||||
| 2004 | NCP | BJP | Prithviraj Sahebrao Jachak | Won | 422,975 | ||||
Pawar has interests incricket,kabbadi,kho kho,wrestling, andfootball.He has served as the head of various sports organisations, including:
Early in his public career in 1972, Pawar founded Vidya Pratishthan[78] to serve the educational needs of the rural poor. The organisation now runs many schools at all levels, and colleges specialising in subjects such as information technology and Biotechnology in Baramati and other locations.[79] Pawar is associated with theHon. Sharad Pawar Public School,[80][clarification needed] under theShree Gurudatta Education Society;[citation needed] Sharad Pawar International School,Pune and theSharad Pawar Cricket Academy, near Mumbai. Pawar is the current president of the century-old educational organisationRayat Shikshan Sanstha.[81][needs update]
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In 1992–93, then-Maharashtra Chief MinisterSudhakarrao Naik made a statement that the state leader of theIndian National Congress party and erstwhile-Chief Minister Pawar, had asked him to "go easy onPappu Kalani", a well-known criminal turned politician.[82] Shiv Sena chief,Bal Thackeray, later concurred with these allegations.[83] Further, Chief Minister Naik also alleged that it was possible that Kalani andHitendra Thakur, another criminal-turned-politician fromVirar, had been given tickets to contest election for the Maharashtra State Legislature at the behest of Pawar, who also put in a word for Naik with the police when the latter was arrested for his role in post-Demolition of the Babri Masjid riots in Mumbai.[84]
Pawar is also alleged to have close links with the underworld donDawood Ibrahim[85] through Ibrahim's henchman Lakhan Singh based in theMiddle East and a close relationship withShahid Balwa, who is also a suspect in the2G spectrum case. These allegations were strengthened by the revelation of the involvement ofVinod Goenka, Balwa's business partner, in a controversial commercial project inYerwada,Pune, which was being constructed under the same survey number as Pawar's family friend, Atul Chordia, had constructed the Panchshil Tech Park. BJP leaderEknath Khadse alleged that it was Balwa who had applied for environmental clearance for the two projects, a charge that Chordia refuted. Coincidentally, Chordia's Panchshil Pvt. Ltd. has Pawar's daughter,Supriya Sule, and her husband Sadanand as investors.[86]
The state government's decision to hand over a 3-acre plot of the Yerwada police station for "redevelopment" to Balwa was retracted following Balwa's arrest. For several years, confusion existed about the number of blasts in the1993 Bombay Bombings, whether they were 12 or 13 in number. This was because Pawar, the then chief minister ofMaharashtra, stated on television that day that there had been 13 blasts, and included a Muslim-dominated locality in the list. He later revealed that he had lied on purpose and that there had been only 12 blasts, none of them in Muslim-dominated areas; he also confessed that he had attempted to mislead the public into believing that the blasts could be the work of theLTTE, aSri Lankan militant organization, when in fact intelligence reports had already confirmed to him that Mumbai's Muslim underworld (known as the "D-Company," a reference toDawood Ibrahim) were the perpetrators of the serial blasts.[87]
On 27 October 2007, the Bombay High Court served notices to institutions headed by Pawar,Ajit Pawar, and Sadanand Sule (Pawar's son-in-law), along with a corresponding notice served to the Maharashtra Krishna Valley Development Corporation (MKVDC) on why special privileges were given to Pawar and his family. This was done in consideration ofPublic Interest Litigation No. 148 of 2006, filed by Shamsunder Potare alleging that the said 2002 land allocations inPune were illegal. The institutions and properties mentioned include:
These allocations were allegedly made by NCP leader and minister Ramraje Naik Nimbalkar, who was in charge of MKVDC at the time.[88][89] Pawar was served acontempt of court notice on 1 May 2008 in connection with this case for issuing statements to the press even though the matter wassubjudice at the time. Also in connection with the case, the respondents were directed not to create third-party interests in the property under dispute and to undertake any developments at their own risk.[90][91]
In 2010, in the case of tax exemptions of theIndian Premier League (IPL), Shiv Sena MLASubhash Desai alleged that the state cabinet decided in January to impose the tax, before the year's IPL season started, but the decision was not implemented because of NCP chief Pawar's association with theBoard of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).[92] Bombay High Court in August 2010 said there was "nothing on record" to show that the Union Minister influenced the Maharashtra government's decision to exempt Indian Premier League matches from entertainment tax.[93]
In 2011, Pawar declared his assets to be worth₹120 million (equivalent to₹250 million or US$2.9 million in 2023) as part of a mandatory disclosure, but his critics claimed that his wealth far exceeded the stated amount.[94][95] In 2010, it was alleged that the Pawar family indirectly held a 16% stake in the City Corporation, which had bid₹11.76 billion (equivalent to₹26 billion or US$310 million in 2023) for the Pune franchise of theIndian Premier League (IPL). Pawar and his family denied the allegations, but the bidders board of the IPL contradicted their claims.[96][97][98]
In 2011, under investigation of the2G spectrum caseNira Radia told theCentral Bureau of Investigation (CBI) that Agriculture Minister Pawar may be controlling the controversial DB Realty. According to the reports, she also told the investigative agency that Pawar may have spoken with former telecom ministerA. Raja about the allocation of spectrum and licence toSwan Telecom. Radia also said that she had no documentary proof to back up her allegations.[99] Pawar has denied any link with former DB managing directorShahid Balwa, who is now in CBI custody.[100]
Pawar is alleged to have demanded compensation for allowing the planned cityLavasa to be constructed. When Lavasa Corporation was receiving necessary clearances from the government of Maharashtra, relatives of Pawar had part-ownership of the company developing the project.[101] Pawar's daughter and son-in-law had more than 20% ownership between 2002 and 2004, and they later sold their stakes.[102] A nephew of his was chairman of Maharashtra Krishna Valley Development Corporation (MKVDC) when the MKVDC signed off on lease agreements for Lavasa and allowed it to store water and build dams.[101][103][104]
After the2010 Pune bombing of German Bakery, Pawar appeared to take the incident lightly. He told the reporters, "It is not alright to arrive at a conclusion that the entire Pune city has been targeted. The place where the blast took place is an isolated area." He added, "When I was Chief Minister, Mumbai saw 11 simultaneous blasts but everything returned to normal soon."[105]
Pawar was slapped by a youth named Harvinder Singh at theNew Delhi Municipal Corporation Centre while leaving the premises after attending a literary function on 24 November 2011.[106] The attacker, who was previously said to have also assaulted former telecom ministerSukh Ram,[107] was later arrested in 2019.[108]
In 2018, Pawar asked party members to felicitate him with thepagadi (turban) of social reformerMahatma Phule, instead of the usualPuneri Pagadi worn bypeshwas (prime ministers) of theMaratha Empire. In response to criticism that he was trying to stir up anti-Brahmin sentiment and appeal toDalits, Pawar said that he wasn't rejecting any section of society but honoring his idols Phule,Babasaheb Ambedkar, andShahu Maharaj.[109][110][111]
| IPC Sections | Criminal Cases(brief) |
|---|---|
| IPC Section-409 | charges related to Criminal breach of trust by public servant, or by banker, merchant or agent |
| IPC Section-406 | charges related to criminal breach of trust |
| IPC Section-465 | charges related to forgery |
| IPC Section-467 | charges related to Forgery of valuable security, will, etc. |
| IPC Section-468 | charges related to Forgery for purpose of cheating |
| IPC Section-471 | charges related to Using as genuine a forged document or electronic record |
| IPC Section-34 | charges related to Acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention |
| IPC Section-120B | charges related to Punishment of criminal conspiracy |
| IPC Section-420 | charges related to Cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property |
In 1999, Pawar was diagnosed withoral cancer[116] and hadoral surgery in April 2004.[117] In March 2021, he underwent surgery for hisgallbladder problem.[118]
Article based on personal experience withSharad Pawar
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Chief Minister of Maharashtra 18 July 1978 – 17 February 1980 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Chief Minister of Maharashtra 26 June 1988 – 25 June 1991 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Minister of Defence 26 June 1991 – 6 March 1993 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Chief Minister of Maharashtra 6 March 1993 – 14 March 1995 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Minister of Agriculture 23 May 2004 - 26 May 2014 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution 23 May 2004 - 19 January 2011 | Succeeded by |
| Lok Sabha | ||
| Preceded by | Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha 19 March 1998– 26 April 1999 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Member of Parliament forBaramati 1984-1985 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Member of Parliament forBaramati 1991-1994 | Succeeded by Bapusaheb Thite |
| Preceded by Bapusaheb Thite | Member of Parliament forBaramati 1996-2004 | Succeeded by |
| Civic offices | ||
| Preceded by | Presidents of the Bharat Scouts and Guides 2001–2004 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | President, Board of Control for Cricket in India 2005–2008 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | President, International Cricket Council 2010–2012 | Succeeded by |
| Party political offices | ||
| Preceded by | President of theIndian Congress (Socialist) 1981–1986 | Merged with theIndian National Congress |
| Preceded by position established | Leader of theNationalist Congress Party in theLok Sabha 1998–2014 | Succeeded by |
|  | |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
