I don’t want to contest polls or hold office: Pawar

The NCP supremo’s decision would bring to an end a nearly five-decade long career in politics.

By Aditya Menon | Mail Today – Fri 1 Feb, 2013 2:24 PM IST

New Delhi: The Maratha strongman is all set to call it a day. Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) president Sharad Pawar said on Thursday that he will not contest any more elections.

“I don’t want to contest the elections or hold a public office. I will not even seek to enter the Rajya Sabha,” Pawar said.

“The only position I will hold is that of the NCP president,” the Union agriculture minister added. Pawar’s statement comes only a day after his party spokesperson D. P. Tripathi said the NCP’s endeavour is to make him the prime minister.

The NCP supremo’s decision would bring to an end a nearly five-decade long career in politics.

Pawar, who turned 72, won his first election in 1967 when he was elected to the Maharashtra legislative assembly from Baramati. He vacated the seat for his daughter Supriya Sule in 2009 and moved to the newly created Madha seat.

Speaking at length on various issues at a lunch organised by his second-in-command Praful Patel, Pawar also provided hints of a succession plan. “Ajit is more interested in the state while Supriya (Sule) is more interested in the Centre. But she (Sule) will begin focusing on the state as well,” he said.

On being asked about the consequences of a possible unification between his rivals in Maharashtra, Pawar said, “Even if Raj and Uddhav Thackeray come together, it will have no impact on the NCP-Congress combine. Even when the two were together and Balasaheb was also alive, they could not defeat us”.

Speculating on the 2014 elections, he said too much attention is being given to Narendra Modi.

He didn’t seem to0 enthusiastic about Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi either, despite being an ally of the party.


Reproduced From Mail Today. Copyright 2013. MTNPL. All rights reserved.

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