Sharadchandra Govindrao Pawar, President of the Nationalist Congress Party, is affectionately referred to as ‘Saheb’ by the masses. Born on December 12, 1940, he entered politics at quite a young age.
He became president of the State Youth Congress at 24; Member of the State Cabinet 5 years later. In 1978, he became the Chief Minister of Maharashtra at the age of 38. He completed two more terms as Chief Minister before being appointed country’s Defence Minister in June 1991.
During his tenure as Chief Minister, Maharashtra gained and retained a position as the leading industrial state in the country and also a state with a very well managed treasury. Sharad Pawar is an economic liberal who believes that only large-scale investment leading to rapid economic development and increased employment makes a country a real international power.
At a national level it is his belief that India can and should be a South Asian and Pacific hub for the sunrise sectors of software production, telecommunication and information technology. His constituency houses a number of products in these sectors.
He is the president of Vidya Pratishathan, a well known academic institution. Acknowledging the pulse of rapidly changing time, he brought the IT revolution in his home town Baramati to facilitate this innovative knowledge to the common citizen.
Baramati can be termed as a model for development. The farmers there produce American corn, grapes, excellent ghee… thanks to his emphasis on performance-based quality.
Despite holding important assignments in various governments at the centre, he has kept a firm hand on the pulse of the grassroots in Maharashtra. He is well-versed with every taluka, district and leader of the state.
