Pune: Former Union Minister and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar on Monday announced that he will not to contest the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.
Addressing a press conference here, Pawar said, “I thought that already two members of my family are contesting polls this time and hence I felt this is right time to take decision to not contest since I have already contested 14 times in the past.”
Pawar’s daughter, Supriya Sule, is a Lok Sabha MP, and will be contesting again. The second member he was referring to is his grandnephew Parth Pawar, son of NCP leader Ajit Pawar.
“Many people are asking (me) to field Parth from Maval,” Pawar said.
78-year-old Pawar, who retired from electoral politics in 2012, had created a stir last month announcing a reprise. Speculation was rife that he might contest from Madha constituency in Maharashtra.
Currently, the Madha seat is held by his party leader Vijaysingh Mohite Patil.
Sharad Pawar is a three-time Chief Minister of Maharashtra and a former Union Agriculture Minister in the UPA government.
Ms Kalinga