NCP workers celebrate Sharad Pawar's 66th birthday

NEW DELHI: NCP President and Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar turned 66 on Tuesday.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Congress chief Sonia Gandhi, several union ministers and political leaders, called Pawar by the telephone to wish him a long and healthy life.

A large number of party workers thronged the 6, Janpath official residence of Pawar to greet their leader.

Party leaders and union ministers Praful Patel and Suryakanta Patil, NCP spokesman D P Tripathi were among the early visitors to the Pawar residence to wish him.

Maharashtra PWD Minister Chhagan Bhujbal and some MLAs from the NCP also met the leader to greet him.

The foundation stone laying ceremony of the New Maharashtra Sadan in the capital scheduled to be held on Tuesday coincides with Pawar's birthday.

Pawar, who was the Defence Minister in P V Narasimha Rao government, also heads the Indian cricket board.

In 1978, Pawar became the Chief Minister of Maharashtra at the age of 38 years, one of the youngest chief ministers in the country. He held the post for three terms, the last one between 1993-95.

He held the post of Leader of the Opposition in the 12th Lok Sabha as a Congress MP.

Pawar, along with P A Sangma and Tariq Anwar, parted ways with the Congress party in 1999 and formed the Nationalist Congress Party.