Confident you will overcome struggles: Supriya Sule on father Sharad Pawar's birthday

File Photo/PTI

On the occasion of Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) President Sharad Pawar's 83rd birthday, his daughter and NCP MP Supriya Sule expressed confidence in his ability to overcome challenges and succeed in testing times.

The Sharad Pawar-founded Nationalist Congress Party split earlier this year after his nephew Ajit Pawar joined the Eknath Shinde-BJP government in the state as deputy chief minister.

In a post on X, Sule said her father hit the streets in Nashik on Monday to raise the issue of onion farmers. Sule said she is doing the same in Parliament by discharging her role as the Lok Sabha member from Baramati.

On Monday, farmers in Nashik staged a protest against the Centre's decision to ban the export of onions till March 31, 2024.

Extending good wishes to her father, Sule said, "We are all confident that you will overcome the struggles in these trying times. We will fight and win."

Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray also met Sharad Pawar in Nagpur on the occasion of his birthday.

Also read: Deputy CM Ajit Pawar says will consider his stance on old pension scheme

May he be blessed with a long and healthy life: PM Modi extends birthday greetings to Sharad Pawar

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday extended his greetings to Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar on his 83rd birthday.

Taking to the social media platform 'X', PM Narendra Modi said, "My best wishes to Shri Sharad Pawar Ji on his birthday. May he be blessed with a long and healthy life."

Pawar founded the NCP in 1999. He became an MLA for the first time at the young age of 27, before becoming the youngest Chief Minister of the state, at the age of 38, in 1978. The four-time chief minister of Maharashtra has also served as Defence Minister. He was Agriculture Minister in the cabinet of former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

He was the first and former president of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), which was founded in 1999, after separating from the Indian National Congress.

Sharad Pawar founded the NCP after his ouster from Congress. He, Tariq Anwar and PA Sangma raised a revolt in the Congress Working Committee on the issue of Sonia Gandhi's foreign origin leading to a split in the party. NCP soon earned the recognition of a national party, after registering its presence in the states of Maharashtra, Goa, Meghalaya and Manipur. However, it lost the tag this year.

Pawar belongs to rural Maharashtra and is sometimes referred to as 'Chanakya' in political circles. He played a crucial role in the formation of Maha Vikas Aghadi, the alliance between Congress, Shiv Sena and NCP.

Maharashtra is set to undergo polls next year. The Maha Vikas Aghadi, comprising the Shiv Sena, NCP and Congress, which came to power in the state, collapsed after Eknath Shinde revolted and joined hands with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) along with MLAs of Shiv Sena.

This led to the formation of the Shiv Sena (Eknath Shinde faction)-BJP government in the state.

A year later, Ajit Pawar, from the NCP, revolted against his party chief and joined hands with the BJP along with some of his party colleagues.

The state is now run by the Mahayuti alliance, comprising the BJP, Shiv Sena, led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and the Ajit Pawar faction of the NCP. (With inputs from agencies)