Page 2 - Sharad Pawar

Maharashtra poll results: Worli, Mahim, Baramati - 10 battleground seats

The ruling Mahayuti, which comprises the BJP, Eknath Shinde's Shiv Sena, and Ajit Pawar's NCP, is locked in a high-stakes contest with the Opposition alliance of Congress, Sharad Pawar's NCP

Maharashtra poll highlights: Chanakya, Axis My India predict thumping victory for Mahayuti

Maharashtra Assembly elections highlights: Catch all the latest news developments related to the Maharashtra Assembly elections here

Will follow Shinde: Shiv Sena MLA on allying with Sharad Pawar for CM post

Shiv Sena MLA Sanjay Shirsat has said his party leaders will follow Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde in any direction he goes after assembly poll results and his decisions will be acceptable to them. He asserted the party would solidly back Shinde, who heads the Shiv Sena, as it trusts his leadership, comments coming ahead of the state assembly poll results. Asked what if Shinde goes with rival NCP (SP) president Sharad Pawar to become the chief minister for a second time, Shirsat said on Thursday, We are committed to (follow) whatever Eknath Shinde decides. We will be solidly with him. We trust him and it will always be there. The MLA from Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar (West) was responding to the question asked on a TV channel. Shirsat said Shinde, who took over as CM in June 2022 after revolting against the then leadership of the Shiv Sena, only goes in the right direction and this has been the experience of party leaders. Shirsat was one of the Shiv Sena MLAs who sided wit

Maharashtra exit poll updates: Advantage Mahayuti; some pollsters predict hung Assembly

Maharashtra exit poll results 2024: Catch all the updates related to the Maharashtra Assembly elections here

Can exit polls predict election results? Here's what you need to know

Exit polls are surveys conducted immediately after voters exit polling booths, offering preliminary insights into election outcomes

Voter turnout reaches 58.22% in Maharashtra and 67.59% in Jharkhand by 5 pm

Assembly elections: The exit polls for both the states are expected to be released shortly after the completion of the voting process

Maharashtra Elections 2024: Voter turnout records at 32.18% till 1 pm

In the Gadchiroli district, voter participation surpassed 50 per cent by 1 PM, while Mumbai City reported the lowest turnout at 27.73 per cent

Power and Pawars: Behind coin-toss electoral showdown in sugarland

Pune's sugar mills shape local politics and elections; a number of prominent candidates in the region are tied to such factories. Prachi Pisal reports from the ground

Sharad Pawar urges voters to decisively defeat Ajit Pawar's faction

NCP (SP) supremo Sharad Pawar has cautioned his detractors that they should mess with anyone but him and appealed to voters to not just defeat those who rebelled under Ajit Pawar, but "defeat them big" in the Maharashtra assembly polls. Addressing a rally at Madha in Solapur district on Sunday ahead of the November 20 state polls, Sharad Pawar recounted an episode of defection that led to him losing the post of leader of opposition in the assembly almost five decades ago and his resolve that led to the defeat of all those who had backstabbed him. "In the elections of 1980, 58 persons won polls from our party and I became leader of opposition. I had gone abroad and when I came back I realised Chief Minister AR Antulay saheb had done some miracle and 52 of the 58 MLAs had switched sides. I lost the post of LoP," he said. "I did nothing (at the time). I just started reaching out to people across the state and worked hard for three years. In the next elections, I fielded young candidate

Mess with anyone but me, says Sharad Pawar; asks voters to defeat Ajit

NCP (SP) supremo Sharad Pawar on Sunday warned his detractors that they should mess with anyone but him and urged voters to not just defeat those who rebelled under Ajit Pawar but "defeat them big". Addressing a rally in Madha in Solapur district, Pawar recounted an episode of defection that led to his losing the post of leader of opposition in the assembly almost four decades ago and his resolve that led to the defeat of all of those who had backstabbed him. "In the polls of 1980, 58 people won polls from our party and I became leader of opposition. I had gone abroad and when I came back I realised Chief Minister AR Antulay saheb had done some miracle and 52 of the 58 MLAs had switched sides. I lost the post of LoP," he said. "I did nothing (at the time). I just started reaching out to people across the state and worked hard for three years. In the next elections, I fielded young candidates against all 52 MLAs who had left me. I am proud of the people of Maharashtra that all 52 who

Left Sharad Pawar as MLAs wanted to join govt to resume stalled work: Ajit

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar on Sunday said he had to part ways with NCP founder and uncle Sharad Pawar as all party MLAs wanted to join the Eknath Shinde government to tide over stalled development works. The Nationalist Congress Party split in July last year after Ajit Pawar and eight MLAs joined the Shinde government. Following a decision by the Election Commission, he got the party name and 'clock' symbol, while the faction head by the octogenarian patriarch was named NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar) with 'man blowing tutari' as its symbol. Campaigning in Baramati, the Deputy CM said, "You might be thinking that I shouldn't have left Pawar saheb at this age. I didn't leave saheb. I told him it is the opinion of all MLAs that we must join the (Shinde) government as multiple development works we approved (under the Maha Vikas Aghadi dispensation) were put on hold. The MLAs even signed (in support of the government joining proposal)." Seeking support, the NCP chief told ..

Maharashtra Assembly polls: Sharad Pawar's bags checked in Baramati

NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar's bags were checked by the poll personnel at Baramati helipad in Maharashtra's Pune district on Sunday morning, according to his associate. Pawar was on way to attend a poll rally in Solapur, the associate said. The model of code of conduct is enforced in the state for the assembly elections scheduled on November 20. "While Pawar saheb was on his way to Karmala poll rally in Solapur, his bags were checked at the Baramati helipad. After the due checking, he boarded the chopper and proceeded for the rally," the associate said. On Saturday, poll authorities checked the bag of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in Maharashtra's Amravati district where he arrived for a poll rally. Later, former state minister and Congress' Teosa MLA Yashomati Thakur questioned the action of the poll authorities and asked why they were not checking bags of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah or Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. The issue of poll officials check

Fadnavis using vote jihad to give religious colour to polls: Sharad Pawar

NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar on Saturday accused Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and his BJP colleagues of trying to give a religious colour to the upcoming assembly polls by raking up vote jihad. Speaking to reporters in Pune, the 83-year-old politician left it to the people to respond to Deputy CM and NCP chief Ajit Pawar over his remarks that he would be in the next line of leadership after the senior Pawar. Referring to a purported appeal by an Islamic scholar for vote-Jihad against the BJP-led Mahayuti government, Fadnavis had on Friday called for a dharma-yudh of votes to counter it. Asked about Fadnavis's appeal to voters, Pawar said it was the BJP leader who had brought up vote jihad, referring to minorities favouring the opposition bloc Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) in a few constituencies during the Lok Sabha elections. If in one area of Pune where Hindus are in the majority and they vote for the BJP, it is common knowledge that this outcome was expected. Tha

In Baramati's intense battle between Saheb and Dada, people are the king

Ajit Pawar's development pitch encounters Sharad Pawar's emotional hold over voters as this constituency of glitzy shops and spotless roads turns into a do-or-die battlefield for the younger Pawar amid an intense canvassing never seen before by most voters. And people are not complaining. Dada, as the deputy chief minister is often addressed, carries a certain air and would not even bother spending much time in campaigns as his win was a forgone outcome, Sandeep Jagtap (32), a farmer, said. "He is now smiling, bowing and folding his hands seeking our votes," he adds with a laugh. His friend Amol Kulange notes that the election has also seen an unlikely turnout of the members of the Pawar clan who are mostly backing Yugendra Pawar, the grand nephew of Sharad Pawar and fielded by him as his NCP(SP) candidate to take on the deputy chief minister. Sharad Pawar's wife Pratibha Pawar, not much seen in previous polls, has hit the campaign trail and so have some other members of the family

PM Modi wanted 400 seats in LS as BJP planned to amend Constitution: Pawar

NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar on Wednesday said Prime Minister Narendra Modi was seeking 400 seats in the Lok Sabha elections as "his eyes were on the Constitution of India." Opposition sensed that the BJP wanted to attack democracy and hence it came together, he said, speaking at a campaign rally at Bhosari near here ahead of the Maharashtra assembly elections. "During the Lok Sabha polls, prime minister Narendra Modi was seeking 400 seats for the BJP. We were surprised because 300 to 350 seats for a party is considered a good majority. We went a little deeper and realised that he wanted 400 MPs because his eyes were on the Constitution of India written by Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar," Pawar said. The Opposition suspected that the BJP wanted to tamper with the Constitution and restrict the common people's rights, he added. "We then brought together all key leaders including Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, myself, Arvind Kejriwal, Uddhav Thackeray, Akhilesh Yadav, and decided to fight together

BJP lost in Maharashtra where PM held rallies during LS polls: Sharad Pawar

NCP (SP) supremo Sharad Pawar on Tuesday took a dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying the BJP lost 10-12 seats in the Lok Sabha elections in Maharashtra, where its top leader addressed poll rallies. Modi is on a campaign trail in the state on Tuesday, addressing election rallies at Chimur in Chandrapur district, Solapur and Pune. "It is the right of the prime minister to address election rallies. There is no need to pay much attention to it," Pawar told reporters here. "But keep one thing in mind, the prime minister addressed 16 rallies during the Lok Sabha elections and the BJP lost 10-12 seats where he addressed rallies. So, let him come," the former Union minister said in response to a question on the prime minister's rallies scheduled for Tuesday. In the Lok Sabha polls held earlier this year, the BJP's number of seats came down to nine from its 2019 tally of 23. Pawar dismissed Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray's charge of promoting caste-based ...

Husband vs wife, uncle vs nephew: Families battle their own in Maharashtra

Amid parties accusing rivals of promoting dynastic politics, the November 20 Maharashtra assembly polls will see brothers, cousins and father-children in the fray, with members of the same family taking on each other in some seats. In one constituency, the battle is between husband and wife, while another seat has an uncle and nephew pitted against each other. In the high stakes battle of Pawars, debutant Yugendra Pawar, the candidate of the Sharad Pawar-led NCP (SP), will take on his uncle and Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, representing the NCP, in Baramati seat. Ajit Pawar has won the Baramati assembly poll seven times and also once bagged the Baramati parliamentary seat. This is the second time that Baramati, the bastion of Pawars, will see a contest within the family. In the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, the deputy CM's wife Sunetra Pawar was defeated by his cousin and NCP (SP) leader Supriya Sule in the Baramati parliamentary seat. In the neighbouring Karjat-Jamkhed, Rohit Pawar,

MLA Tingre denies sending legal notice to Sharad Pawar as claimed by Sule

Baramati MP Supriya Sule has claimed that MLA Sunil Tingre of the ruling NCP has sent a legal notice to her father and NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar, asking him not to defame him in the Pune Porsche car hit-and-run case. Sule, who is the working president of NCP (SP), was speaking on Friday at a rally in support of party candidate Bapu Pathare contesting the November 20 assembly election from the Vadgaon Sheri constituency in Pune. Without taking the name of Tingre, Sule said, "The person whom the party had given the ticket last time has now sent a notice that he will drag Sharad Pawar to court if he was defamed in the Porsche car case." "But Sharad Pawar is not even afraid of the Enforcement Directorate's notice. So do you think he will be afraid of your notice?" Sule asked. Talking to reporters later, she said Tingre had sent a notice to Pawar through his lawyers. "We will look into the notice," she added. Tingre, who is contesting the assembly from Vadgaon Sheri as the candidate

Supriya Sule rules out reconciliation with Ajit Pawar while he's with BJP

Nationalist Congress Party (Sharad Pawar faction) leader Supriya Sule said she will not be contesting the Maharashtra Assembly elections

Mahayuti govt has failed, says Sharad Pawar; urges people to overthrow it

NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar on Thursday hit out at the Mahayuti government in Maharashtra, saying it has failed to safeguard the interests of farmers, protect women and provide jobs, and urged people not to allow them to continue in power. He also targeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi, accusing him of working in the interest of a particular state. Pawar was addressing a campaign rally for NCP (SP)'s Nagpur East candidate Duneshwar Pethe here. Assembly elections are scheduled to be held on November 20. "Nagpur has a deep relationship with the Congress and its ideology, with leaders from Vidarbha, including Vasantrao Naik and Sudhakarrao Naik, serving as the chief minister of Maharashtra and empowering the state," he said. But those who are in power today have failed to solve the problems faced by farmers and the number suicides by farmers in Vidarbha is very big. Farmers had to take the path of suicide because the government not solve their issues, the former Union agriculture ...