"Missing you this Diwali": Sharad Pawar remembers his mother with emotional note

NCP chief Sharad Pawar penned a emotional letter his late mother Shardabai Pawar on the occasion of Diwali, recalling various political events in Maharashtra and especially his speech in rain that became the defining image of the 2019 Assembly elections in the state.In his letter in Marathi, which he has posted on Instagram, the veteran politician credited his mother for his ability to maintain healthy dialogues even with people holding different political ideologies. I apologies for the delay in writing this letter. But I was busy last one year due to elections. The UPA lost the Lok Sabha elections, and some senior colleagues also left the party. It was a though task to win Vidhan Sabha elections (in Maharashtra)," Pawar stated."I braved rains in a public meeting in Satara. That act galavanised people which resulted into votes. Later, new political equations emerged in Maharashtra and a new government (comprising the Shiv Sena, NCP and Congress) came into force (last year)," he stated.

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Its noteworthy, that a photograph of the 79-year-old Pawar addressing a rally amid a heavy downpour in Satara became the defining image of the state Assembly elections. Though the NCP finished third after the BJP and the Shiv Sena, it improved its tally from 41 seats in 2014 to 54 seats. Many Congress leaders have accepted in private that Pawar's spirited campaign helped them in many seats. Pawar further recalled that when the new government was taking oath, he remembered the advice his mother had given to him when he filed the nomination for the maiden election in his political life. Remembering his mother's personality, Pawar said she had performed her duties in social and political life in perfection along with her family responsibilities. "Your ideology was ideal for communism, but I got attracted towards Gandhi-Neharu-Yashwantrao Chavhan's Congress. You never thrust your political beliefs on me. I learned from you how to keep a healthy dialogue even with the people representing diverse political ideologies," he stated. During his long career, Pawar has served as the Chief Minister of Maharashtra on three occasions and held the posts of Minister of Defence and Minister of Agriculture in the Government of India.