Sharad Pawar returns home from hospital; Awhad, Deshmukh, Parth Pawar meet him at Silver Oak

Nationalist Congress Party senior leader Sharad Pawar has been discharged from hospital and has reached his residence, Silver Oak. Leaders began calling on him as soon as he returned home. According to information available, Parth Pawar of the Ajit Pawar faction also came to meet him, along with senior leaders of the Sharad Pawar faction.

After Sharad Pawar reached Silver Oak, senior leaders of his faction arrived there. They include MLA Jitendra Awhad, former Home Minister Anil Deshmukh and Shashikant Shinde. As the issue of a merger of the two NCPs is already under discussion, these meetings are being viewed differently.

According to information from sources, Parth Pawar of the Ajit Pawar faction also reached Silver Oak and met Sharad Pawar. The meeting has further intensified political speculation. However, no official information has emerged so far on what was discussed at the meeting.

The merger talk had been revived a few days earlier. Praful Patel, a senior leader of the Ajit Pawar faction, had visited Sharad Pawar at Breach Candy Hospital. At that time, there was a mention of sitting down together for talks after the 10th, following which the merger talk began again.

NCP state president Sunil Tatkare then made a remark on the merger, which gave the talk further momentum. Tatkare had said that if Ajit Pawar were alive, the two NCPs would have merged on February 12 itself.

With senior leaders of both factions now going to Silver Oak to meet Sharad Pawar, the question being raised in political circles is whether another major development is in the offing. Whether anything is under way towards the two NCPs coming together will become clear only from developments to come.