Among all who could have been India's PM, Sharad Pawar still has a chance

In the run-up to Lok Sabha Elections 2019, Pawar has so far ruled himself out of contention while leading a possible coalition comprising the Congress and regional parties

India has had its share of unlikely prime ministers in P V Narasimha Rao, H D Deve Gowda, Inder Kumar Gujral and Manmohan Singh. There are also those who came close but the ultimate prize in Indian politics kept eluding them. This list includes Jyoti Basu, N D Tiwari, Pranab Mukherjee and Sharad Pawar. And then there are the instances of K Kamaraj and Sonia Gandhi, who spurned the opportunity when it knocked at their doors.

Of all who could have been India’s prime ministers, Pawar, 78, still stands a chance. Until now, Pawar has ruled himself out of contention