Sharad Govindrao Pawar was born on December 12, 1940. He is an Indian politician from Maharashtra with over 50 years of public service. He holds a position of prominence in politics of India as well as the regional politics of Maharashtra.
Pawar was the chief minister of Maharashtra thrice – 1978-1980, 1988-1991, and 1993-1995. He entered the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly for the first time in 1967, representing Baramati on a Congress party ticket.
He is the president of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), which he founded in 1999, after separating from the Indian National Congress. He leads the NCP delegation in the Rajya Sabha, the upper house of the Indian parliament.
He has held the posts of Minister of Defence and Minister of Agriculture in the Government of India. He is also one of the founders of MVA, a post-poll alliance in Maharashtra between Shiv Sena, Nationalist Congress Party and Indian National Congress.
Pawar comes from the town of Baramati in Pune district of Maharashtra. He is the patriarch of a political family that includes his daughter, Supriya Sule as well his nephew and other members of his extended family.
Sharad Pawar is married to Pratibha (née Shinde), daughter of the test cricketer Sadashiv Shinde. They have one daughter, Supriya Sule, who is married to Sadanand Sule. Supriya currently represents the Baramati constituency in the 17th Lok Sabha.
Pawar was the chairman of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) from 2005 to 2008 and the president of the International Cricket Council from 2010 to 2012.
Pawar's interests lie in cricket, kabbadi, kho kho, wrestling and football. He has served as the head of various sports organisations, including Mumbai Cricket Association, Maharashtra Wrestling Association, Maharashtra Kabbadi Association.
Pawar was honoured with the Padma Vibhushan, India's second-highest civilian award, on the recommendation of the Narendra Modi-led BJP government.
Pawar served as the president of Pune International Marathon Trust, which has hosted Pune International Marathon for the last 22 years.
Pratap Pawar, Sharad Pawar's younger brother, runs the Marathi daily newspaper, Sakal. Pawar's nephew, Ajit Pawar, is also a politician and served as the Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra. His grandnephew Rohit Rajendra Pawar is also a politician. Rohit started his career by serving on Pune Zila Parishad. In October 2019, he was elected to the Maharashtra Vidhansabha from the Karjat constituency.
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