Ahead of the Maharashtra Assembly polls, which are likely to be held after Diwali, NCP (SP) supremo Sharad Pawar held a rally in Karjat-Jamkhed on Sunday in support of his grandnephew Rohit Pawar, who is seeking to secure his second term as an MLA. Recalling his own rise to the position of Maharashtra Chief Minister, the senior Pawar suggested that Rohit could also follow in his footsteps.
"In 1967, I was first elected to the Legislative Assembly of Maharashtra. I worked for the entire five years, just as Rohit is doing today. I didn't become a minister, nor did I expect a position. Rohit also did not expect any position from us. Party workers demanded it, but Rohit never asked to be made a minister. I wasn’t a minister for five years, but eventually, I received one post after another. I became Minister of State for Home, then Minister of State for Agriculture. After the Vasantdada Patil's government fell, I became the Chief Minister. Not just once, but I became the CM four times. Rohit's first five years are to serve you, and the subsequent years will be to serve Maharashtra. His service will be remembered in the history of Maharashtra. Someone with such accomplishments should not be concerned whether they hold a post for a year or six months," Pawar said.
Reflecting on how Rohit was criticised for being an outsider in Karjat-Jamkhed when he first contested the polls in 2019, the former Union Minister added, "I remember when Rohit first considered contesting the Assembly elections, there was a discussion about where to contest. Some people suggested Karjat-Jamkhed, a drought-prone constituency in Maharashtra, facing challenges like lack of drinking water, industries, manual labour, communication, and even electricity in some areas. Some asked me why I was giving such a difficult constituency to a young man. I said Rohit is capable of handling this responsibility. With capability, hard work, and the ability to relate to common people, we can overcome any adversity. Many criticised him for being an outsider, but the voters did not care, and they made him win by a large margin. Now, after five years, the picture of Karjat-Jamkhed has changed."
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