NCP supremo Sharad Pawar on Wednesday dismissed rumours of his candidature for Presidential election, saying he knows what the results will be, given that the BJP-led NDA has more than 300 MPs in the Parliament.
News agency ANI quoted the veteran politician as saying, “It is absolutely false that I will be a candidate for the Presidential election. I know what will be the result, given the party that has more than 300 MPs. I will not be a candidate for the Presidential election.”
It is absolutely false that I will be a candidate for the Presidential election. I know what will be the result, given the party that has more than 300 MPs. I will not be a candidate for the Presidential election: NCP chief Sharad Pawar (File photo) pic.twitter.com/uzLbYip3nE
— ANI (@ANI) July 14, 2021
The buzz around Pawar’s candidature for the Presidential election gained ground after he met poll strategist Prashant Kishor thrice since May. The meetings also generated talks of Pawar firming up a united front of all opposition parties to take on the BJP juggernaut in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
However, Pawar dismissed all the speculation of him assuming any leadership role in 2024 by saying, “Nothing has been decided so far — be it the 2024 General Elections or state elections. The election is far away, and the political situation keeps changing. I am not going to assume any leadership in the 2024 elections.”
Pawar further said that during his meetings with Kishor, the discussion wasn’t around politics. “Prashant Kishor met me twice, but we only talked about a company of his. No discussion was held regarding the leadership for the 2024 elections or the Presidential election. Prashant Kishor told me that he has left the field of formulating poll strategies,” he added.
Echoing similar sentiments, Maharashtra Minister and NCP leader Nawab Malik told ANI that no discussion has been done within the party so far regarding the Presidential poll. “If someone’s circulating this news, then I would like to clarify that it’s not true,” he said.
