NCP chief Sharad Pawar
Amid a lot of buzz around the President of India's election, rumor mills were rife that Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) supremo Sharad Pawar may be batting for the topmost post. If reports are to believed it was also said that poll strategist Prashant Kishor was lobbying to get Sharad Pawar elected as the next President of India.
However, putting a stop to all the speculations, the NCP chief said that he isn't in the race of the presidential elections. Talking to India TV, Pawar said, "Reports that I can be a candidate in the presidential election is absolutely untrue. When a party (BJP), which has more than 300 MPs and if the elections are conducted, I know what the result of the election. Hence, I will not be a presidential candidate."
President Ram Nath Kovid is due to vacant the office in July 2022.
On meeting with the Kishor, Pawar said that the meeting concerned nothing political. "Prashant Kishor met me twice and what happened was a conversation about a company. Kishor told me that he has quit as a poll strategist."
Kishor had met Sharad Pawar thrice since the West Bengal Assembly election results. One of these meetings at Sharad Pawar’s New Delhi residence was attended by a host of Opposition leaders.
Pawar also said that in the meeting with the leaders of Maharashtra on Tuesday, there was no discussion on Congress state party president Nana Patole.
Patole in a recent video had allegedly said that Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray and Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar were keeping him under surveillance as they could not come to terms with the Congress’ revival in the state. His statement had created enough tension in the three-party Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government in Maharashtra. "I am not angry with Nana Patole's statement. He has the right to increase his party base in the state," Pawar added.
On the Speaker's election, Pawar said, "I have already said that the post given to the Congress should decide the same candidate."
Meanwhile, talking in the same tune, Maharashtra Minister & NCP leader Nawab Malik also said, "No discussion has been done within the party till now regarding Presidential poll. If someone's circulating this news, then I'd like to clarify that it's not true."
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