Sharad Pawar
Sharad Govindrao Pawar (Marathi pronunciation: [ʃəɾəd̪ pəʋaːɾ], born 12 December 1940) is an Indian politician. He has served as the Chief Minister of Maharashtra for four terms and has also served in the Union Council Of Ministers as the Minister of Defence in the Cabinet of P.V Narsimha Rao and Minister of Agriculture in the Cabinet of Manmohan Singh. He is the first and former president of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), which he founded in 1999, after separating from the Indian National Congress. His NCP was split by his own nephew, Ajit Pawar. He leads the his facation NCP delegation in the Rajya Sabha, the upper chamber of the Indian parliament. He is the chairperson of Maha Vikas Aghadi, a regional Maharashtra-based political alliance.
Sharad Pawar | |
|---|---|
Pawar in 2013 | |
| Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha | |
| Assumed office 3 April 2014 | |
| President | |
| Chairman of the House | |
| Constituency | Maharashtra |
| 1st National President Nationalist Congress Party | |
| In office 10 June 1999 - 6 February 2024 | |
| Vice President | Praful Patel (2022-2023) |
| Succeeded by | Ajit Pawar |
| Leader of the Nationalist Congress Party, Rajya Sabha | |
| Assumed office 3 April 2014 | |
| Deputy | Fouzia Khan |
| Preceded by | Supriya Sule |
| Leader of the Nationalist Congress Party, Lok Sabha | |
| In office 1999–2014 | |
| Preceded by | Position Established |
| Succeeded by | Supriya Sule |
| Chief Minister of Maharashtra | |
First Term | |
| In office 18 July 1978 – 17 February 1980 | |
| Governor | |
| Deputy | Sundarrao Solanke |
| Ministry and Department | |
| Preceded by | Vasantdada Patil |
| Succeeded by | President's Rule |
Second Term | |
| In office 26 June 1988 – 3 March 1990 | |
| Governor | |
| Ministry and Department | |
| Preceded by | Shankarrao Chavan |
| Succeeded by | Himself |
Third Term | |
| In office 3 March 1990 – 25 June 1991 | |
| Governor | |
| Ministry and Department | |
| Preceded by | Himself |
| Succeeded by | Sudhakarrao Naik |
Fourth Term | |
| In office 6 March 1993 – 14 March 1995 | |
| Governor | |
| Ministry and Department | |
| Preceded by | Sudhakarrao Naik |
| Succeeded by | Manohar Joshi |
| Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha | |
| In office 19 March 1998 – 26 April 1999 | |
| President | K. R. Narayanan |
| Prime Minister | Atal Bihari Vajpayee |
| Speaker of the House | G. M. C. Balayogi |
| Preceded by | Atal Bihari Vajpayee |
| Succeeded by | Sonia Gandhi |
| President of the Bharat Scouts and Guides | |
| In office 2001–2004 | |
| Preceded by | Rameshwar Thakur |
| Succeeded by | Rameshwar Thakur |
| Union Minister of Agriculture Government of India | |
| In office 23 May 2004 – 26 May 2014 | |
| President | |
| Prime Minister | Manmohan Singh |
| Preceded by | Rajnath Singh |
| Succeeded by | Radha Mohan Singh |
| Union Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution Government of India | |
| In office 23 May 2004 – 26 May 2014 | |
| President | |
| Prime Minister | Manmohan Singh |
| Preceded by | Sharad Yadav |
| Succeeded by | Ram Vilas Paswan |
| President of the International Cricket Council | |
| In office 2010–2012 | |
| Preceded by | David Morgan |
| Succeeded by | Alan Isaac |
| Union Minister of Defence Government of India | |
| In office 26 June 1991 – 6 March 1993 | |
| President | |
| Prime Minister | P. V. Narasimha Rao |
| Preceded by | Chandra Shekhar |
| Succeeded by | P. V. Narasimha Rao |
| Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha | |
| In office 20 June 1991 – 16 May 2009 | |
| Preceded by | Ajit Pawar |
| Succeeded by | Supriya Sule |
| Constituency | Baramati |
| In office 16 May 2009 – 16 May 2014 | |
| Preceded by | New constituency |
| Succeeded by | Vijaysinh Mohite–Patil |
| Constituency | Madha |
| Chairperson of Maha Vikas Aghadi | |
| In office 26 November 2019 – 30 June 2023 | |
| President | Uddhav Thackeray |
| Secretary | |
| Preceded by | Position Established |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 12 December 1940 Baramati, Bombay Presidency, British India (present-day Maharashtra, India) |
| Political party | Nationalist Congress Party (SharadChandra Pawar NCP (SCP) (2024-present) |
| Other political affiliations | Indian National Congress (1987-1999) Nationalist Congress Party (1999–2024) |
| Spouse |
Pratibha Pawar (m. 1967) |
| Relations |
|
| Children | 1 daughter – Supriya Sule |
| Residence | Baramati |
| Education | Bachelor of Commerce |
| Alma mater | Brihan Maharshtra College of Commerce, Pune |
| Profession |
|
| Website | sharadpawar |
| Nickname | Bhishmapitamaha of Maharashtra's politics |
As of 29 October, 2010 Source: | |
Pawar comes from Baramati of Maharashtra. He is the patriarch of the influential political family—the Pawar Family—and a prominent face in Maharashtra politics. Other politicians from the family include his daughter Supriya Sule, Ajit Pawar his nephew, Rohit Rajendra Pawar a nephew's son and other members of his extended family.
Outside of politics, Pawar has served as the President of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) from 2005 to 2008 and as the president of the International Cricket Council (ICC) from 2010 to 2012. He was the president of the Mumbai Cricket Association from October 2013 to January 2017.
In 2017, the Indian government conferred upon him Padma Vibhushan, the second-highest civilian honour of India. On 7 February 2024, the Election Commission of India allotted the clock symbol of NCP to Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar led faction thus making the Ajit Pawar faction the real Nationalist Congress Party.