Sharad Pawar

Sharad Pawar

Sharadchandra Govindrao Pawar (Marathi: शरदचंद्र गोविंदराव पवार; born 12 December 1940), popularly known as Saheb, is the president of the Nationalist Congress Party which he founded in 1999, after separating from the Indian National Congress. He has previously held the posts of Minister of Defence and Chief Minister of Maharashtra and currently serves as Minister of Agriculture, Government of India. During his tenure as Minister of Agriculture, there have been farmer suicides in excess of 15,000 per year, totalling over two lakhs since 1997. The figure for 2012 is expected to be higher due to the shortage of rainfall. Sharad Pawar has stated on record that he believes that the rate of farmer suicide in India is a 'normal thing'.

Pawar is from the town of Baramati in the Pune district of Maharashtra. He leads the NCP delegation in the Lok Sabha, representing his constituency of Madha in Maharashtra. He has a prominence in national politics as well as regional politics of Maharashtra, although marred by frequent corruption allegations.

Pawar also served as the Chairman of the Board of Control for Cricket in India from 2005 to 2008. In 2010, Sharad Pawar became the International Cricket Council president after England's David Morgan.