Former Union minister and founder of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), Sharad Pawar, may contest Lok Sabha elections in 2019.
There is an increasing clamor in the NCP that Pawar contest the Lok Sabha elections from the Madha parliamentary constituency. The demand was first raised by senior NCP leader and current MP from Madha, Vijaysinh Mohite Patil. A number of NCP leaders similarly urged the party leadership to ensure Pawar contested the Lok Sabha elections.
Pawar had announced in 2012 that he will not contest elections anymore as he wished to be a Rajya Sabha member. Subsequently, he was elected to the Rajya Sabha in 2014. A veteran, Pawar has spent more than five decades in public life. He was the chief minister of Maharashtra four times, and has held defence and agriculture portfolios at the Centre.
A month ago, when NCP commenced the process of selection of candidates for the 2019 elections, it was decided that sitting MPs will be the party's candidates from the constituencies they currently represent. At present, NCP has four MPs. Accordingly, it was believed that Patil will be party candidate from Madha, a seat which was held by Pawar from 2009 to 2014. But, there was lot of opposition to Patil's candidature from party units. Another aspirant for the NCP ticket from Madha is Prabhakar Deshmukh, a retired IAS officer. NCP leaders doubt whether Deshmukh will be seen as a strong candidate. The party wants to retain all the seats it currently holds, and hopes to win half a dozen more given the reality that Modi's popularity is on decline.
Another angle behind the possibility of Pawar contesting elections from Madha is the likelihood of a hung parliament after the election results are announced. NCP leaders feel that, in such a situation, Pawar could emerge as a consensus candidate to lead government formation as he has excellent relations across party lines. Not only is he the most senior Opposition leader, he also has the ability to take everyone along. Last week, on Thursday, Pawar hosted a meeting of Opposition leaders at his home in New Delhi.
NCP insiders point out that this election is very important and every seat will count. Pawar's candidature from Madha will have an impact on neighbouring seats in western Maharashtra.
"The party has urged Pawar saheb to contest Lok Sabha elections from Madha. He has told us that he will think about it. We want him to listen to us as his candidature will charge NCP activists, and it will be a great morale booster for Opposition candidates," said Nawab Malik, chief spokesperson of the NCP.