I've no intention of becoming UPA chairperson: Sharad Pawar

NEW DELHI: Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar on Sunday said he has no interest in becoming the chairperson of the United Progressive Alliance (UPA).
Pawar's comment made to a private news channel came a day after Shiv Sena in its mouthpiece Saamna praised Pawar while talking about the leadership "crisis" within the UPA.
The speculations of Pawar presiding over the UPA were brushed aside by senior Congress leader P Chidambaram as well.He said that the post is not that of a Prime Minister, noting that even Pawar will not want to be declared as the chairperson of the alliance as there is no such thing which exists.
"I don't think even Mr Sharad Pawar wants to be declared as the chairperson of the UPA... When these parties meet, the natural person to extend the invitation and the natural person to preside over the meeting will be the leader of the largest party; we are not selecting a prime minister," Chidambaram told news agency ANI.
On Saturday, an editorial in Saamna asserted on the need for united opposition to challenge the BJP. It suggested that all non-BJP parties should unite under the banner of the UPA.
Talking about the UPA's leadership, the editorial hailed Pawar as an "independent and powerful" personality. However, the editorial didn't directly name the NCP chief for the post of UPA chairperson.
Currently, Congress leader Sonia Gandhi is the chairperson of the UPA.