Veteran politician and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar on Tuesday, November 5, said that he may not contest any more elections in future, hinting at a possible retirement from politics.

While addressing an election rally in Baramati where he has been elected as their representative 14 times, the 83-year-old said that he has decided not to contest any elections after his term as a Rajya Sabha MP comes to an end in 18 months.

“I am not in power… and my tenure in the Rajya Sabha has one-and-a-half years left. (After that) I will not contest any election in the future. (I) will have to stop somewhere…” he said thanking voters for putting their trust in him and his family throughout the years.

He was campaigning for his grandnephew Yugendra Pawar who is pitted against his nephew Ajit Pawar in the upcoming Maharashtra Assembly elections.

Ajit Pawar had split from the NCP last year after leading a rebellion. He has won five times from Baramati, with the backing of senior Pawar. It will be intriguing to see how the family dynamics unfold following the split.

However, Sharad Pawar seems to downplay any such angle. “I have no grudge against him (Ajit Pawar) … he led you for nearly 30 years,” he said.

He however added that the NCP is ready for a generational shift. Cheering for his grandnephew, he told the public gathering, “Now it is time for me to prepare a young (and) dynamic leadership… which can take over for the next 30 years.”

“I am not seeking your votes… you have always been magnanimous with all Pawar family members in this time. But we have to look ahead now at the future,” he said.

The Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) led by the NCP (Sharad Pawar) Congress and Shiv Sena (Uddhav Thackeray) section will battle for the 288-seat assembly against the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) comprising of the Bharatiya Janata Party, Shiv Sena (Eknath Shinde) and NCP (Ajit Pawar). The election is scheduled to take place on November 20. Counting of votes and result declaration will be held on November 23.

As many as 7,078 valid nominations have been received of which, 2,938 candidates have withdrawn nominations, leaving 4,140 in the fray, the Maharashtra Election Commission stated.