Rohit follows Pawar Senior’s lead, takes charge of Maharashtra wrestling body

Rohit also took guard on the cricket pitch when he was elected unopposed as president of the Maharashtra Cricket Association in 2023

MUMBAI: From politics to sports, Rohit Pawar is following his grandfather Sharad Pawar’s playbook in more ways than one. After cricket, Rohit, NCP (SP) MLA from the Karjat-Jamkhed assembly constituency in Ahilyanagar, has entered the wrestling arena as the new president of the Maharashtra State Wrestling Association (MSWA).

Mumbai, India – 09, July 2025: NCP (SP) President Sharad Pawar, NCP (SP) leader Naresh Lanke and NCP (SP) leader Rohit Pawar at Azad Maidan, urging the state cabinet to release pending financial aid for teachers , in Mumbai, India, on Wednesday, July 09, 2025. (Photo by Bhushan Koyande/HT Photo)

He was elected unopposed to the MSWA, headed by NCP chief Pawar Senior for over four decades till it was dissolved in 2022. This is the first election to the state wrestling body since then, a period during which it was helmed by former BJP MP Ramdas Tadas.

“At one point, due to political grudges, controversies were created around the organisation. However, through this election, it has now been reaffirmed that Maharashtra State Wrestling Association is the legitimate and true organization,” Rohit said in a post on social media platform X.

He was referring to a decision taken by the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) in June 2022. The WFI, headed by then BJP MP, Brijbhushan Sharan Singh, had dissolved the MSWA, citing its failure to conduct certain tournaments. The Bombay High Court termed the decision “illegal” and “arbitrary”.

Rohit has not only followed in his grandfather’s footsteps by leading the MSWA, he also took guard on the cricket pitch when he was elected unopposed as president of the Maharashtra Cricket Association (MCA), the apex state-level cricket body, in 2023. His penchant for politics in cricket aligns with that of Pawar Senior, who once headed the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and the International Cricket Council (ICC), the global governing body for cricket.

“After being active in the zilla parishad, Legislative Assembly and cricket, this election has given me the opportunity to ‘play’ in the fourth field—that of wrestling. I see this as recognition of the good work done across all those arenas so far,” Rohit said on social media.

The 39-year old began his political career when he was elected to the Pune zilla parishad from Baramati, pocket-borough of the Pawars, in 2017. He has since been elected as MLA from Karjat-Jamkhed assembly constituency for two consecutive terms.

Rohit was groomed by Pawar himself before he made his debut to active politics. Grandson of Pawar’s elder brother Appasaheb, he is as an outspoken leader from the NCP (SP), who stayed loyal to Pawar Senior during the split in the NCP in 2023.