Following extensive discussions, the NCP (Sharad Pawar) has chosen Shashikant Shinde as its candidate for the Satara Lok Sabha constituency in Maharashtra. He is set to compete against the likely BJP candidate Udayanraj Bhosale, a descendant of Maratha king Shivaji. So, who is Shashikant Shinde, the man who has earned the trust of Nationalist Congress Party founder Sharad Pawar for a seat that has consistently supported the seasoned Maratha leader?
Shinde, who is 60 years old, has been a member of the Legislative Council since 2020 and remained loyal to Sharad Pawar following the NCP split, despite the majority of party leaders and legislators joining the Ajit Pawar faction.
He was elected to the state Legislative Assembly four times consecutively but lost to Mahesh Shinde of Shiv Sena in 2019. In his first two elections, he won from the Jaoli Assembly segment in Satara district. Following delimitation, he contested from Koregaon and emerged victorious in 2009 and 2014.
He served as the Water Resources Minister in the Cong-NCP government in 2013. He resides in Koregaon in the Satara district.
"I am deeply grateful to the party for providing me the opportunity to contest in the Lok Sabha election from the Satara seat. The party has always supported Sharad Pawar and will continue to do so in the future," Shinde expressed.
He acknowledged that all MPs from Satara have won the seat and have contributed to the development work in the constituency. "I plan to follow their footsteps and strive for the development of the constituency," he added.
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