Mumbai: Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) chief Sharad Pawar was discharged from a Mumbai hospital on Saturday after receiving treatment for a chest infection and respiratory complications.
Pawar, 85, was admitted to the hospital near his Breach Candy residence, where he had been undergoing treatment for the past three days. He later returned to his residence.
Congress leaders Sushilkumar Shinde and Balasaheb Thorat, along with NCP leader Dilip Walse-Patil, visited the hospital on Friday night to meet the former Union minister.
Industrialist Gautam Adani and NCP leader Praful Patel had also visited him.
Pawar was initially admitted to Pune’s Ruby Hall Clinic on November 2 and discharged on November 4. He was admitted to the Mumbai hospital later that day.
Meanwhile, speculation over a possible merger of the two NCP factions has gathered pace following a viral video showing Praful Patel visiting Sharad Pawar at the hospital.
According to reports, leaders from the two factions are likely to hold discussions on November 10. However, there has been no official confirmation of a merger plan.
Ruling NCP’s Maharashtra president Sunil Tatkare said that the merger of the two factions would have taken place on February 12 if Ajit Pawar were alive.
The ruling NCP is currently headed by Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Sunetra Pawar, while the NCP (SP), which is part of the Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance, is led by Sharad Pawar.
Ajit Pawar, who served as Maharashtra’s Deputy Chief Minister and headed the NCP, died in a plane crash in his hometown of Baramati in Pune district on January 28. Following his death, his wife, Sunetra Pawar, took over as the NCP chief and became Deputy Chief Minister.