PTI, PUNE: NCP chief Sharad Pawar on Monday said he will not contest next month’s Lok Sabha election.
The 78-year-old veteran politician said as two members of his family are going to contest the polls, “somebody had to step back.”
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said the NCP chief’s decision to pull out from poll fray was because he had “sensed the change in the air”.
“Since I have already won elections 14 times, I decided not to contest the poll (this time),” the Rajya Sabha member told reporters after holding a meeting with party leaders.
“Somebody from our family had to step back and I decided to give an opportunity to the young leadership. I thought this was the right time to take this decision,” he said.
Pawar announced that his nephew and former deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar’s son Parth Pawar will be NCP’s candidate from Maval Lok Sabha constituency.
