Analysis: From Hospital Bed, Sharad Pawar Keeps Maharashtra Guessing Over NCP-NDA Move

Hospitalisation is proving to be no constraint for NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar's political manoeuvring. Admitted to a Mumbai hospital due to a chest infection, the veteran politician, who has survived cancer more than once, has kept Maharashtra's political circles guessing over his next move from the bed at Breach Candy.His meeting with Praful Patel, a leader from the rival Ajit Pawar faction that took away the party name NCP after rebelling in 2023, has led to pointed speculation over the likelihood of a reunification.

A day earlier, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, too, called Pawar, when he was initially in a hospital in Pune. Modi reportedly advised Pawar to take rest and leave everything to him and Supriya Sule, Pawar's daughter.

This statement is being construed as an indication of Pawar joining the BJP-led NDA at the Centre and the Mahayuti alliance at the state level, ditching the Congress-led INDIA bloc.Power At Any CostFor the last six decades, Sharad Pawar has been one of the most unpredictable leaders in Maharashtra's politics, or even India's at large.