Sharad Pawar Biography

About Sharad Pawar

Sharad Chandra Govindrao Pawar, mostly known as Sharad Pawar, is an Indian politician. He is the founder and President of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) since 1999, after disassociating from the Indian National Congress. In his political career, Sharad Pawar has held key positions both in state politics and at national level. He has served as Chief Minister of Maharashtra and also as Defense Minister of India. At present he is the Minister of

Agriculture under the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government led by the Indian National Congress. He represents the Mahda constituency of Maharashtra in the Lok Sabha and leads the Nationalist Congress Party delegation. He has been accused of involving in corruption several times. From 2005 to 2008 he served the Board of Control for Cricket in India as Chairman. He also held the prestigious post of President of International Cricket Council, succeeding England’s David Morgan.

Personal background of Sharad Pawar

Sharad Pawar was born on 12 December 1940 to Shri Govindrao Pawar and Smt. Shardabai Pawar. His father worked with Baramati Farmers' Cooperative, also known as Sahakari Kharedi Vikri Sangh, and his mother used to take care of the family farm about 10 km away from Baramati at Katewadi. Sharad Pawar has five brothers and four sisters. He was educated in a school under the Maharashtra Education Society. He studied in Pune at the Brihan Maharashtra College of Commerce under the Pune University.

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Sharad Pawar married Pratibha Shinde on 1 August 1967; they have a daughter Supriya, who is married to Sadanand Sule and is presently a member of the 15th Lok Sabha, representing the constituency of Baramati in Maharashtra. Sharad Pawar’s younger brother Pratap runs Sakal, a famous Marathi daily, and his nephew Ajit Pawar is presently the Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra. His interests include horticulture, agriculture, irrigation, economics, finance, energy and sports. His favourite pastime is reading and he likes to travel a lot.

How did Sharad Pawar enter politics

Sharad Pawar was an average student although he was quite active in students’ politics. His enthusiasm in debates, his dynamic speaking prowess, his vigor in organizing and arranging outdoor activities and sports were all early indicators of his leadership qualities. His first act in the field of politics was his active participation and organization of a protest march in 1956 in support of the Goa Liberation Movement. He represented student leadership at Brihan Maharashtra Commerce College (BMCC) and served as the General Secretary. This place marked his entry into politics and his association with the Youth Congress. He came in contact with Yashwantrao Chavan, who is considered the architect of modern Maharashtra. Chavan recognized his potential as a leader and eventually Sharad Pawar became the leader of Youth Congress. He was also a member of the state’s Pradesh Congress Committee.

Sharad Pawar's Political Journey so far

• In 1967 he was the:
  • Member of Legislative Assembly of Maharashtra
  • Congress Legislature Party’s Secretary in Maharashtra
  • Pradesh Congress Committee’s General Secretary in Maharashtra
• From 1972 to 1974 he was the Minister of State of Government of Maharashtra for Food, Home, Civil Supplies, Publicity, Rehabilitation, Sports and Youth Welfare.
• From 1974 to 1978 he was the Cabinet Minister of Agriculture, Home, Education, Industries, Youth Welfare and Labour under the Government of Maharashtra.
• From 1978 to 1980 he was the Chief Minister of Maharashtra.
• From 1981 to 1986 he was the Leader of Opposition in the Legislative Assembly of Maharashtra.
• From 1982 to 1987 he was the President of Congress (S).
• In 1984 he was elected to the 8th Lok Sabha but he resigned in March 1985.
• From 1988 to 1991 he was the Chief Minister of Maharashtra.
• In 1991 he was again elected to the 10th Lok Sabha.
• From 1991 to 1993 he served as the Defense Minister.
• From 1993 to 1995 he was a member of the Legislative Council of Maharashtra. He became the Chief Minister of Maharashtra.
• From 1995 to 1996 he was made the Leader of Opposition of the Legislative Council of Maharashtra.
• In 1996 he was re-elected for the third term in the 11th Lok Sabha.
• From 1996 to 1997 he held memberships in Committee on Environment and Forests and Committee on Science and Technology.
• In 1998 he was elected as member of the 12th Lok Sabha for the fourth term. He was made the Leader of Opposition.
• From 1998 to 1999 he was member of:
  • Committee on External Affairs and its Sub-Committee-II
  • General Purposes Committee
  • Ministry of Human Resource Development’s Consultative Committee
• In 1999 he was elected for the fifth time to the 13th Lok Sabha. He became the Leader of NCP in Parliament.
• From 1999 to 2000 he was the member of the General Purposes Committee and the Committee on Agriculture.
• From 2000 to 2001 he was the member of the Committee on Ethics.
• From 2001 to 2004 he was the Vice Chairman of the national Committee on Disaster Management. He was also the Leader of NCP in Parliament in the Lok Sabha.
• In 2004 he was elected for the sixth time to the 14th Lok Sabha.
• From 23 May 2004 he became the Union Cabinet Minister for Consumer Affairs, Public Distribution, Agriculture and Food. He was also the Vice President of the Parliamentary Forum on Water Conservation and Management.
• In 2009 he was elected for the seventh time as a member to the 15th Lok Sabha.
• From 31 May 2009 to 18 January 2011 he was the Union Cabinet Minister for Consumer Affairs, Public Distribution, Agriculture and Food. He was again made the Leader of NCP in Parliament in the Lok Sabha.
• From 19 January 2011 he is the Union Cabinet Minister for Food Processing Industries and Agriculture.

Positions Held in by Sharad Pawar

In the field of social and cultural activities
 President of:

• Vasantdada Sugar Institute in Pune
• Nehru Centre in Mumbai
• Vidya Pratishthan, Baramati in Pune
• Rayat Shikshan Sanstha in Satara
• Agriculture Development Trust in Baramati
• Y.B. Chavan Pratishthan in Mumbai

In the field of Sports President of:

• Garware Club House
• Maharashtra Kustigir Parishad
• Maharashtra Olympic Association
• Mumbai Cricket Association
• International Cricket Council (ICC)

Chairman of Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) Head of:

• Maharashtra Kabbadi Association
• Maharashtra Kho Kho Association

Awards Won by Sharad Pawar

• Outstanding Parliamentarian Award, 2003 from the then President of India Smt. Pratibha Devsingh Patil.
• Lawrence Technological University, Southfield, Michigan, Detroit, U.S.A bestowed him with an Honorary Doctoral Degree in Humanities.
• Book Published on Sharad Pawar : Fast Forward, a book containing a collection of the speeches given by Sharad Pawar was released in 2008 by the Hon’ble Prime Minister of India Shri Manmohan Singh.

Controversies and criticisms surrounding Sharad Pawar

• Sharad Pawar’s name was referred by Abdul Karim Telgi in the six hundred billion rupees stamp paper scam in a narco analysis that was captured by different Indian news channels.
• The Bharatiya Janata Party demanded Sharad Pawar’s resignation in 2007, alleging his involvement in a multi-crores scam related to wheat imports.
• The Bombay High Court on 27 October 2007 served notices to the Maharashtra Krishna Valley Development Corporation  and also to the organizations led by Sharad Pawar, his nephew Ajit Pawar and his son-in-law Sadanand Sule  to cite reasons for providing special privileges to him and his family.
• It was alleged in 2010 that Pawar and his family members hold 16% stake in City Corporation, a company that had bid an amount of Rs. 1176 crores for Pune franchise in the IPL. The Pawars, however, denied the allegations.
• Pawar was highly criticized and accused as Cabinet Minister of Agriculture for not being able to handle price rise of agricultural products.