Sharad Pawar back home after chest infection; Parth Pawar among visitors

Sharad Pawar, the president of the Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar), has been discharged from hospital in Mumbai after treatment for a chest infection, and Parth Pawar, son of his late nephew Ajit Pawar, visited him at his residence.

Mr. Pawar, 85, was first admitted to Ruby Hall Clinic in Pune on 2 November with a cough and chest pain, and discharged on 4 November. Hours later he was admitted to Breach Candy Hospital in Mumbai for further tests; doctors there said he had a respiratory and chest infection and was stable. Prime Minister Narendra Modi called him to ask about his health.

Among other visitors at his home were senior party leaders Jayant Patil, Shashikant Shinde, Jitendra Awhad and Anil Deshmukh. Earlier, Praful Patel, a senior leader of the rival NCP, visited him in hospital and dismissed talk that the two had discussed politics.

Why the visit was noticed

Ajit Pawar split the NCP in 2023, taking most of its MLAs into the ruling alliance with the BJP and Shiv Sena, and won the party’s name and symbol. He died in a plane crash at Baramati on 28 January 2026, and his widow, Sunetra Pawar, now leads that party. The two NCPs have contested against each other since the split, so visits between the families are watched closely in Maharashtra politics, though the families have kept up personal ties.