Praful Patel meets Sharad Pawar in hospital; Pawar says they will sit together after the 10th

Nationalist Congress Party leader Praful Patel met Sharad Pawar, the supremo of the Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar), who is undergoing treatment at Breach Candy Hospital in Mumbai. The meeting has set off a range of discussions in Maharashtra politics, with questions being asked whether it signals a major political realignment.

Pawar was admitted to a hospital in Pune a few days ago after falling ill and feeling fatigued. He was later shifted to Breach Candy Hospital in Mumbai for further tests and treatment. His condition is now said to be stable and he is being treated under the supervision of doctors.

In a post on X on November 5, 2026, Patel said he had gone to the hospital, met the revered Pawar Saheb and asked after his health. According to information that emerged after the meeting, it was not merely a courtesy visit; politics and the situation in the country and the state were also discussed. A video of the meeting has surfaced in which Pawar is seen telling Patel, "We will sit together after the 10th and discuss." This one sentence has fuelled the speculation.

According to sources, Pawar also asked Patel about a meeting held a few days earlier with Union Home Minister Amit Shah. Patel and senior Nationalist Congress Party leaders had met Shah at that meeting. Meanwhile, core committee and MLA meetings are under way within the party, and leaders have expressed confidence in Sunetra Pawar's leadership.

Vitthal Maniyar, a close associate of Pawar, had said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi personally phoned to ask after Pawar's health. According to Maniyar, Modi said, "Take full care of your health and rest completely. Supriya and we will look after the country, don't worry about anything." Pawar thanked the Prime Minister and said, "If all of you are there, I have no worry about the country."

Speaking to the media, Patel said Pawar and Modi have had good and respectful relations for many years. Their ties were good even during the UPA years, when Modi was Chief Minister of Gujarat. Patel said it was therefore entirely natural for Modi to phone.

Talk of MP Supriya Sule becoming a Union minister has also been going on for several days. Union Minister Ramdas Athawale recently hinted in a statement that Sule could be inducted into the Union Cabinet. There is also talk of an expansion of the NDA. The idea of the two Nationalist Congress parties coming together, that is, merging, has been raised from time to time, but no firm decision has been taken so far. Political circles also say the BJP has begun efforts to bring both parties into the NDA. Similarly, there is whispering that Jayant Patil may be given the state finance portfolio. All of this is speculation and none of it has been confirmed.

After the meeting, Patel said that although their political roles are different today, their personal and family ties remain very close. In his words, "I had gone to meet Pawar Saheb. He is in good health, he was laughing and asking what is happening in the country and the state. He even spoke about the situation in America. But it is not right to hold a big political discussion in a hospital."

All eyes are now on the 10th. Answers are expected only after the 10th to the questions of whether the two Nationalist Congress parties will come together, what will be decided on Supriya Sule's role, and what effect this will have on the Mahayuti and Maha Vikas Aghadi equations.