Sharad Pawar, Drenched in Rain, Admits NCP's 'Mistake' in Satara, Takes Social Media by Storm

Satara: As the Maharashtra assembly elections near, even rains have failed to dampen the spirit of politicians such as Sharad Pawar. A video of the NCP chief drenched in rain and admitting his “mistake” in choosing candidates for the national elections in Satara has gone viral, a day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi attacked him for not “having courage” to contest Lok Sabha polls from the constituency.

On Thursday, PM Modi had hit out at opposition parties for not supporting the Centre’s stand after it scrapped the special status of Jammu and Kashmir in August. "They don't even have the courage to contest even Lok Sabha elections from Satara," he added.

In the national elections earlier this year, the NCP had fielded Shivaji Maharaj's descendant Udayanraje Bhosale from Satara. However, Bhosale quit the party ahead of Maharashtra state elections on October 21 and joined the BJP, which has fielded him for the by-election.

Pawar, while admitting the error, said: "When one makes a mistake, one should admit it. I made a mistake while selecting candidate for the Lok Sabha poll. I accept this publicly. But I am happy that to correct the mistake, every young and old person in Satara is waiting for October 21," he added.

Even as other leaders were seen trying to shield themselves from rain, the veteran politician continued his address to the crowd. "The rain god has blessed the NCP for the October 21 election. And with the blessings of the rain god, Satara district will create a miracle in Maharashtra,” he told the gathering.

The leader won praise on social media as the video of his address went viral.