Sharad Pawar airlifted to Mumbai after fall, to undergo surgery

Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar was admitted to a hospital in Mumbai on Wednesday after he sustained leg injury from a fall at his Delhi residence. "Pawar sustained leg fracture after a fall at his Delhi residence. Doctors will perform a minor surgery and mend the injury point on his leg," senior NCP leader Praful Patel told mediapersons at the Breach Candy Hospital, shortly after the former Union minister was rushed there from Delhi.

Patel added that Pawar was brought to Mumbai for treatment as the doctors who treat him regularly are in Breach Candy hospital.

"After X-ray and scans at Breach Candy, they came to the conclusion that everything is normal. His health is alright. Because he has sustained fracture, he will be required to be in the hospital for seven to eight days," he said.

Pawar sustained the leg injury after he slipped during his usual morning walk at his Janpath residence in Delhi. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and senior minister Vinod Tawde were among other leaders who visited the hospital to enquire about Pawar's health.

The air ambulance carrying the former Union agriculture minister landed in Mumbai at 11.15 am and he was taken straight to the Breach Candy Hospital.

 Patel and former NCP minister Chhagan Bhujbal were among those present at the hospital when the ambulance carrying Pawar reached around noon.

The air ambulance carrying Pawar landed in Mumbai at 11.15 am and he was taken straight to the Breach Candy Hospital where doctors will decide the next course of treatment after a thorough examination, the sources said.

A three-time chief minister of Maharashtra and a former Union minister, the 73-year-old leader was accompanied by his wife Pratibha and daughter Supriya Sule in the air ambulance.

Pawar, who left the Congress and formed the Nationalist Congress Party in 1999, is currently a member of Rajya Sabha.

Image: NCP chief Sharad Pawar