NCP leaders want Pawar to contest LS polls from Madha

NCP leaders in Maharashtra's Madha constituency want party president Sharad Pawar to contest in the 2024 parliamentary elections, but Pawar has not responded to the demand. Pawar was an MP from Madha from 2009 to 2014. The constituency is currently held by BJP's Ranjitsinh Naik Nimbalkar.

Amid a power struggle with his nephew Ajit Pawar, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leaders from Madha Lok Sabha constituency in Solapur district have demanded that the party president, Sharad Pawar, contest from there in the 2024 parliamentary elections.

Mumbai, India - Oct. 13, 2023: NCP chief Sharad Pawar addressing to media during the press conference at Y. B Chavan centre, in Mumbai, India, on Friday, October 13, 2023. (Photo by Anshuman Poyrekar/ Hindustan Times) (Hindustan Times)

Pawar, however, has maintained silence over it.

Pawar was an MP from this seat from 2009 to 2014. Currently, it is with BJP’s Ranjitsinh Naik Nimbalkar.

Pawar called a two-day meeting to review the party’s preparations and identify probable candidates in 15 of the 48 Lok Sabha constituencies in Maharashtra. On the first day (Wednesday), he had deliberations on seven seats — Baramati, Madha, Kolhapur, Shirur, Satara, Hathkanangale and Raver.

During a discussion on Madha, leaders and office bearers from the constituency demanded that Pawar contest the elections from there. “The leaders and workers are of the view that if he agrees then they will win the seat for sure,” an NCP leader, who was privy to the development, said.

“Pawar saheb did not respond to the demand. He never says anything about candidature at meetings as such decisions require a lot of deliberations which continues till the eleventh hour,” he added.

Pawar was elected unopposed to the Rajya Sabha in March 2020. In 2019, he had declared to contest the elections from Madha but later withdrew his name following insistence from Parth, Pawar’s grandnephew and son of Ajit Pawar, who was keen on entering the electoral fray. He took the decision on grounds that only two members from the Pawar family should contest elections and if one was Supriya Sule, who is the sitting MP from Baramati, then another would be Parth.

The Madha seat came into existence following delimitation of constituencies by the Election Commission of India in 2008.