‘Supriya Is Ready’: Modi’s Call to Sharad Pawar Fuels Political Buzz

• PM Modi reportedly calls Sharad Pawar following his hospital discharge.
• Pawar’s aide Vitthal Maniyar recounts the conversation.
• Reported call sparks fresh speculation over NCP reunification.
• NCP state chief Sunil Tatkare rules out an immediate merger.

GG News Bureau
New Delhi, 5th Nov: A Modi-Pawar phone call has drawn attention in Maharashtra’s political circles after Prime Minister Narendra Modi reportedly contacted NCP (SP) president Sharad Pawar to enquire about his health following his discharge from Pune’s Ruby Hall Clinic.

According to Pawar’s close aide Vitthal Maniyar, Modi spoke to the 85-year-old leader with affection and respect and urged him to take complete rest. During the conversation, the Prime Minister reportedly told Pawar that his daughter, Supriya Sule, was ready to share the responsibility of looking after the country.

Maniyar told reporters that Pawar responded by saying he was resting and had no worries about the country as long as leaders continued their work. Pawar also thanked Modi for enquiring about his health, the aide said.

Neither Pawar nor the Prime Minister has publicly confirmed the reported conversation.

Pawar was admitted to Ruby Hall Clinic on November 2 after complaining of a cough and pleuritic chest pain. He had toured drought-hit areas of Maharashtra shortly before his hospitalisation. His daughter, Baramati MP Supriya Sule, had earlier said that his health parameters were stable.

The veteran leader was discharged from the Pune hospital and was scheduled to undergo a follow-up at a Mumbai hospital on Wednesday.

The reported conversation has also fuelled speculation over political developments in Maharashtra, particularly the possibility of a reunification between the two Nationalist Congress Party factions and Sule’s possible role at the national level.

The NCP split in 2023 after Ajit Pawar, Sharad Pawar’s nephew, joined the BJP-led Maharashtra government with a group of party leaders. The Election Commission subsequently recognised Ajit Pawar’s faction as the original NCP, while Sharad Pawar’s faction came to be known as the NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar).

Ajit Pawar died in a plane crash in Baramati on January 28, 2026. His wife, Sunetra Pawar, subsequently became Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra.

Talks about a possible merger between the two factions had earlier taken place but stalled following Ajit’s death. Recent political developments have once again brought the issue into focus.

A delegation of senior leaders from Ajit Pawar’s NCP faction reportedly met Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday and raised concerns over decision-making within the party. The absence of Sunetra Pawar and her sons, Parth and Jay, from the meeting also attracted attention.

However, NCP Maharashtra president Sunil Tatkare said after a core committee meeting on Monday that a merger with the Sharad Pawar-led faction had been ruled out. He added that the party would function collectively under Sunetra Pawar’s leadership, while indicating that the issue had been discussed with Shah and a decision could be taken at an appropriate time.

Sharad Pawar had earlier acknowledged that merger discussions had taken place between NCP leaders Jayant Patil and Ajit Pawar, but subsequently ruled out a merger with the NDA-aligned faction.