Sharad Anantrao Joshi (3 September 1935 – 12 December 2015) was an Indian politician who founded the Swatantra Bharat Paksh party and Shetkari Sanghatana (farmers' Organisation), He was also a Member of the Parliament of India representing Maharashtra in the Rajya Sabha, the upper house of the Indian Parliament during the period 5 July 2004 till 4 July 2010. On 9 January 2010 he was the sole MP in Rajya Sabha to vote against the bill providing 33% reservation for women in Indian parliament and assemblies. Sharad Anantrao Joshi was a member of Advisory Board of the World Agricultural Forum (WAF), the foremost global agricultural platform that initiates dialogue between those who can impact agriculture. He is also founder of Shetkari Sanghatana, an organisation for farmers. Shetakari Sanghatana is a non-political union of Farmers formed with the aim to "Freedom of access to markets and to Technology". Early life, education and Career Sharad Joshi was born on 3 September 1935 at Satara, in the state of Maharashtra, India. He is a son of Anant Narayan (1905–70) and Indirabai Joshi (1910–92). He obtained a master's degree in Commerce from Sydenham College, Mumbai, in 1957 and, Diploma in Informatics from Lausanne in 1974. During his career he obtained many awards including Award C.E. Randle Gold Medal for Banking (1955), and Cursetjee Dady Prize for work on Computation of Irrigation Benefits. He worked as a Lecturer in Economics and Statistics, University of Poona, 1957–58. Later he worked for I.P.S Indian Postal Service (Class I) 1958–68; His international career included a long stint as Chief of Informatics Service at International Bureau, UPU, Bern, Switzerland, 1968–77. He served as a United Nations officer before founding Shetakari Sanghatana. Farmer's issues He was a founder of Shetkari Sanghatana, farmers' Organisation in Maharashtra. He led number of mass agitations on agricultural issues in India. Most of them in the state of Maharashtra on issues of prices offered to Farmers. He was also founder Leader of ' Kisan Coordination Committee (KCC)' composed of sister organisations from 14 states – Maharashtra, Karnataka, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Orissa, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Kerala; led a number of agitations in Maharashtra, Karnataka, Gujarat, Punjab, Haryana etc. for remunerative prices of onions, sugar cane, tobacco, milk, paddy, cotton, against hike in electricity tariffs, for liquidation of rural debts and against State dumping in domestic markets. He