I will contest Lok Sabha polls; Parth, Ajit will not: Sharad Pawar

NCP supremo Sharad Pawar confirmed on Tuesday evening that he would contest the coming Lok Sabha election, while ruling out the possibility of Ajit Pawar or Parth Pawar entering the arena.

Earlier, Pawar, now a Rajya Sabha member, had said that other NCP leaders were insisting that he contest the coming election from Madha constituency in south-western Maharashtra.

When asked by reporters at a function here about the allegation that he was promoting a dynasty, Pawar said, "Parth Pawar, Rohit Pawar and Ajit Pawar would not contest Lok Sabha election. But Sharad Pawar is going to contest," he added a few moments later.

The NCP chief's daughter Supriya Sule currently represents the family bastion of Baramati in the Lok Sabha. Ajit Pawar, his nephew, is an MLA and former Maharashtra deputy chief minister.

There was speculation that the NCP may field Parth Pawar, Ajit's son, from Maval Lok Sabha seat.

BJP-Sena's Coming Together Was A Foregone Conclusion: Sharad Pawar

Earlier in the day, Sharad Pawar had said that he wasn't surprised with BJP and Shiv Sena managing to move away from their differences and forming an alliance. The electoral understanding between the saffron siblings was a forgone conclusion, the former Union minister told PTI.

"There is nothing new in their announcement of fighting polls together," Pawar said.

He said the BJP and the Sena, which have been alliance partners for over 25 years, were expected to contest jointly.

"It is just that they had been vocal (against each other) only in the last few years, but they were expected to contest jointly," Pawar said, referring to frequent squabbles between the two ruling allies since the NDA came to power at the Centre and in Maharashtra in 2014.

On the status of the pre-poll understanding between the NCP and the Congress, Pawar said they are yet to arrive at consensus on "one or two seats".

Pawar, however, did not name the seats concerned. Both the parties are trying to bring in like-minded parties like Bharipa Bahujan Mahasangh of Prakash Ambedkar on board the proposed grand alliance, to take on the NDA.