Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) working president Praful Patel met NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar at Breach Candy Hospital on Thursday to enquire about his health.
The meeting came days after a group of senior NCP leaders, including Patel, met Union home minister Amit Shah in Delhi, triggering speculation about turmoil within the regional party. The NCP, however, denied any internal rift. “I keep meeting Pawar Saheb and Supriya Sule on and off as we share family ties. He added: “Saheb, in his own style, laughingly asked what is going on in politics. Subsequently, the Ajit Pawar faction got the party name and its symbol, while Sharad Pawar’s group became NCP (SP).
The 85-year-old Pawar is undergoing treatment at the south Mumbai hospital for a chest and respiratory infection. The Sharad Pawar-founded NCP split in 2023 after a group of party leaders, including Patel, joined the ruling Mahayuti alliance in Maharashtra under the leadership of late Ajit Pawar.
The hospital said his condition was stable. People aware of the matter said Pawar enquired about what transpired at the meeting with Shah, but Patel told media that no political discussions had taken place. We did not discuss politics, as a hospital is not a place for it,” Patel told reporters at the hospital.
