Sharad Pawar: The Maratha maverick

Abhishek Singh Samant If one ever needed to understand what a maverick politician is, he needn’t look beyond Maratha strongman Sharad Pawar. His nearly 50 years of political career is a testimony to his political acumen. Pawar’s political persona has various hues, and all very effective. Or else, how will you explain his acceptability across the political spectrum – be it extreme Right-wing Shiv Sena, the Congress or the Left. Political career Pawar was first elected to the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly in 1967 from Baramati on a Congress ticket. In 1978, he parted ways with the Congress and formed a coalition government under the name of Progressive Democratic Front, thus achieving the distinction of becoming the youngest Chief Minister of Maharashtra at the age of 38. His first Lok Sabha victory came in 1984. Three years later, he returned to the Congress. In 1991, he was inducted into the Union Cabinet as the Defence Minister under the Narsimha Rao government. After the announcement of the 13th Lok Sabha elections, Pawar, PA Sangma and Tariq Anwar opposed the projection of Italian-born Sonia Gandhi, who had replaced Sita Ram Kesri as party president, as Congress’ Prime Ministerial candidate. This led to the formation of the Nationalist Congress Party in 1999 with Pawar, Sangma and Anwar at the forefront. After the 2004 Lok Sabha elections, Pawar joined the United Progressive Alliance government as the Minister for Agriculture and Food. Strengths Sharad Pawar’s strength lies in his knowledge of the grassroots of Indian politics. Part of it is a result of his active involvement in student politics during his early years. He also enjoys the reputation of being a great talent spotter and is responsible for Maharashtra Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde’s entry into politics. His control over the sugarcane lobby in Maharashtra provides him with a solid base as he patronises the industry, which in turn provides him with a stable vote bank. Pawar as BCCI president Pawar’s entry into the BCCI is seen more as a restoration of Maratha pride than an interest in cricket. He took his defeat at the hands of the Dalmiya-led camp with a pinch of salt. The defeat hurt his pride and he was determined to be at the helm of affairs in the Board. In 2005, he ended Jagmohan Dalmiya’s 21-year-old reign and was elected the president of the cash-rich sports body. Pawar as PM candidate? The Maratha strongman has never made secret of his Prime Ministerial ambitions. The closest he came to the post was in 1990 in the aftermath of Rajiv Gandhi’s assassination. He, however, had to settle for the post of a Defence Minister as PV Narsimha Rao was elected as the PM. But that was two decades back. Much water has flown in the Ganges since then. Pawar enjoys acceptability across the political spectrum. Further, he has the image of going to any length to enhance his political career. His abandoning of mentor Yashwantrao Chavan is a case in point. In an era of coalition politics, Pawar, being an opportunist, can tie up with any alliance to facilitate his elevation to the top post.