Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) chief Sharad Pawar was discharged from Mumbai’s Breach Candy Hospital on Saturday after undergoing treatment for a chest and respiratory infection. The 85-year-old leader returned to his residence following a three-day stay at the hospital.

Pawar had been admitted to Breach Candy Hospital earlier this week after being discharged from Pune’s Ruby Hall Clinic. He was initially admitted to the Pune facility on November 2 and discharged on November 4, following which he was shifted to Mumbai for further medical evaluation and treatment.

His hospitalisation had drawn visits from several political leaders and prominent personalities, including Congress leaders Sushilkumar Shinde and Balasaheb Thorat, NCP leader Dilip Walse-Patil, industrialist Gautam Adani and NCP leader Praful Patel.

Sharad Pawar’s hospitalisation and discharge

Pawar was receiving treatment for a chest and respiratory infection during his stay at Breach Candy Hospital. His discharge on Saturday followed the improvement in his health.

The veteran politician had initially complained of persistent cough and chest discomfort before being admitted to Ruby Hall Clinic in Pune. He was subsequently shifted to Mumbai for additional medical evaluation.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had also spoken to Pawar over the phone to enquire about his health and advised him to take adequate rest.

NCP merger speculation gains momentum

Pawar’s discharge comes at a time when political discussions surrounding a possible merger between the Ajit Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party and the Sharad Pawar-led NCP (SP) have gained attention.

The political buzz intensified following a meeting between senior NCP leaders and Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Delhi. The absence of NCP chief Sunetra Pawar and her son Parth Pawar from the meeting also drew attention amid reports of internal differences within the party.

NCP leader Praful Patel had also visited Sharad Pawar at Breach Candy Hospital. However, Patel had rejected speculation that their meeting involved political discussions, saying that he regularly met Pawar and Supriya Sule because of their family ties.

The possibility of bringing the two NCP factions together has therefore remained a subject of political discussion, although no confirmed merger announcement has been made.

Trinamool Congress MP Abhishek Banerjee has alleged that BJP workers attacked his residence in Kolkata around 2 am on Saturday following a confrontation between workers of the two parties. The incident took place outside his Kalighat home during celebrations linked to his birthday.

Banerjee accused the BJP workers of throwing stones and bricks at his supporters and alleged that some of them were carrying revolvers. He also claimed that several TMC workers were injured in the confrontation.

According to the TMC leader, one of his colleagues, Tapas, suffered a serious injury near his thumb and would require plastic surgery. He also said another person suffered a fracture below the eye. These injury claims were made by Banerjee while speaking to the media.

Abhishek Banerjee calls it seventh attempt on his life

Banerjee said the incident was not an isolated one and claimed it was the seventh attempt on his life in the last six months.

In a post on X, he alleged that BJP workers had conducted reconnaissance around his residence before the alleged attack. He also accused the police and judiciary of failing to take action.

Banerjee referred to an earlier June 19 incident in Sonarpur, claiming that armed individuals had attempted to attack him while he was returning from Delhi. He said his workers had caught them and that a complaint was filed. 

The allegations about the latest incident followed Banerjee’s earlier claim that unidentified individuals had been monitoring his office and residence for two days. He said they identified themselves as police personnel when confronted and sought an inquiry into the alleged surveillance.

BJP rejects allegation, calls incident ‘drama’

The BJP rejected Banerjee’s allegations. Bengal BJP minister Dilip Ghosh described the incident as a “drama” and questioned the circumstances surrounding the confrontation.

Ghosh said there was no reason to believe that anyone was attempting to kill Banerjee and accused the TMC leader of using emotional rhetoric to mislead people.

The BJP’s response came after the late-night confrontation between supporters of the two parties outside Banerjee’s residence. The episode began after a shouting match around 2 am following slogans directed at Banerjee, according to the report.

Banerjee had earlier raised surveillance concerns

A day before the alleged attack, Banerjee had claimed that unidentified people were conducting surveillance of his office and residence.

He questioned why the state police would allegedly monitor the premises of an elected MP and asked who had authorised such surveillance. He said he was bringing the matter to the attention of Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, Kolkata Police, the Union Home Ministry and West Bengal Police.

The latest clash has intensified the political confrontation between the TMC and BJP in West Bengal, with Banerjee alleging a targeted attack and the BJP dismissing his claims.

Union Minister Pralhad Joshi has accused Congress leader Rahul Gandhi of sharing a cropped and out-of-context video of Home Minister Amit Shah over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.

The latest exchange comes amid a growing political dispute between the BJP and the Opposition over SIR and allegations concerning the electoral roll revision process.

Joshi questioned Gandhi’s understanding of the issue and challenged him to take up the matter in Parliament rather than relying on selectively edited video clips.

The remarks came after Amit Shah challenged Gandhi to discuss SIR in Parliament. Shah said the government was prepared to hold a special session if the Congress leader wanted a debate on the issue.

Rahul Gandhi shares Amit Shah video

The controversy intensified after Rahul Gandhi shared a video featuring two statements by Amit Shah concerning whether SIR could be discussed in Parliament.

Gandhi used the video to question Shah’s position and urged him to persuade Prime Minister Narendra Modi to agree to an open debate on the issue.

The video highlighted what Gandhi described as differing positions on the discussion of SIR in Parliament. The Congress leader has continued to press for a debate on the electoral roll revision exercise.

Joshi challenges Gandhi over SIR

Responding to Gandhi’s position, Joshi accused him of circulating a cropped video that did not present Shah’s remarks in their complete context.

Joshi also questioned the Congress leader’s criticism of the electoral process, arguing that the party had faced defeats in Lok Sabha elections before the current SIR exercise.

The BJP has maintained that its concerns about the electoral rolls should be addressed through a discussion in Parliament. Amit Shah has separately pointed to the 2014, 2019 and 2024 Lok Sabha elections while arguing that there was no SIR during those elections and Congress still lost.

BJP-Congress clash over SIR

The dispute over SIR has become a major political flashpoint, with the Opposition raising concerns about electoral rolls and the BJP defending the revision process.

The latest confrontation follows protests by the INDIA bloc against alleged irregularities in electoral rolls and demands concerning the Election Commission. The BJP, meanwhile, has challenged the Opposition to take its arguments to Parliament.

The disagreement over the Amit Shah video is therefore part of the wider political battle between the BJP and Congress over SIR, electoral rolls and the conduct of elections.