Day after split in NCP, Sharad Pawar hits the road

A day after a vertical split in his Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), Sharad Pawar on Monday left from Pune for Karad to visit the memorial of Maharashtra's first chief minister Yashwantrao Chavan.

The NCP chief was accompanied by his wife Pratibha Pawar, Rajya Sabha member Vandana Chavan, NCP spokesperson Ankush Kakde, party's Pune city unit president Prashant Jagtap and many other party workers.

Pawar left his residence in Pune in a convoy at around 8 am and was greeted en route by the party workers, who were waiting on roadsides.

After paying visit to the memorial of late Yashwantrao Chavan, Pawar is expected to attend an event in Satara.

On Sunday, Ajit Pawar led a vertical split in the NCP to become the deputy chief minister, shocking his uncle Sharad Pawar, who founded the party 24 years ago.

Eight NCP leaders were also sworn in as ministers in the Eknath Shinde-Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government.

Sharad Pawar on Sunday said it was not the NCP's decision to align with the Bharatiya Janata Party-Shiv Sena government and said action would be taken against leaders who violated the party line.

He also took a swipe at the BJP saying this development was not a 'googly' but a 'robbery'.

Sharad Pawar also said he would build new leadership in the party and asserted he gets more energy to work when such situations come up.

The NCP chief also said he was the party's face for the future as well.