Explained: How Sharad Pawar reawakened NCP among people of Maharashtra

It is hard to assess Pawar's 'vote share' in the conventional sense of the term

Ahead of the 2019 general elections, the MP from the Madha Lok Sabha constituency in Maharashtra’s Solapur district, Vijaysinh Mohite Patil, announced that should his leader — Sharad Pawar — decide to contest the Lok Sabha elections, he would step aside from the race and leave the seat for Pawar.

Pawar mulled over the idea publicly. But when the names were announced, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) fielded Solapur Zilla Parishad President Sanjay Shinde as the candidate. “Pawar held discussions with us,” disclosed a top Congress leader “and he was possibly not sure of winning the seat so he decided not