After the high-voltage drama in Maharashtra, the NCP Supremo Sharad Pawar has once again proved he is the old warhorse and a strong Maratha man. He not only managed to keep his flock together but succeeded in getting Ajit Pawar resigned, causing the fall of the 4-day old Devendra Fadnavis government.
Over the last 50 years, politics in Maharashtra has revolved around Maratha strongman Sharad Pawar and at the age of 79 he has fought many fierce battles. But in March 2012, Sharad Pawar, when he was Agriculture Minister, had 'fainted' in Lok Sabha.
According to report in India Today, Sharad Pawar felt a bit dizzy just after conclusion of the Question Hour. He was later taken away in an official car from the Parliament premises accompanied by his daughter and Baramati MP Supriya Sule and Union Minister Praful Patel. An ambulance was waiting for Pawar but he chose to leave Parliament in an official car. Minister of State in the PMO V Narayanasamy had told India Today, "Pawar complained of dizziness."
Sharad Pawar has always been a fighter and not a quitter. During the Assembly polls in October, Pawar once stood drenched on the podium to address party workers in heavy rain in Satara. He refused to take an umbrella saying he cannot do it as his party workers are also braving the rain. The 40-minute speech in Satara led to the defeat of the descendant of Shivaji Mahraj, Udyan Raje Bhonsle, who had switched from the NCP to the BJP just ahead of elections. There were reports that the NCP chief fainted in the lobby of the Lok Sabha but this were not immediately confirmed.
When Pawar's name came up in the ED investigation in a money laundering case, he made it an election agenda and turned the tide against the BJP, saying "a Maratha never bows to Delhi." He decided to visit the ED office without even a notice. He said even Shivaji, the great Maratha ruler, never bowed to the rulers of Delhi.
