Sharad Pawar, a workaholic by nature, manages to remain in the centre of state politics even as he remains bedridden in his bungalow, 'Silver Oak' on Bhulabhai Desai road in Mumbai. While recovering from a surgery on his leg, Pawar recently managed to postpone a defection attempt by his lieutenant Ganesh Naik of Navi Mumbai.

Pawar recently managed to get the Bharatiya Janata Party to hold off on inducting senior NCP leader Ganesh Naik, who desperately wanted to join BJP to maintain his political influence in Navi Mumbai. Recently, Naik missed the Thane NCP district leaders' meeting on the eve of local self-government elections. When Amit Shah, BJP president, visited Pawar recently to check on his health, Pawar told Shah not to induct Naik into the BJP for the moment.

Accordingly, Naik's entry into BJP has been postponed for an indefinite period. Few people know what transpired between Shah and Pawar, but the incident provided proof that Pawar is still a formidable force in state politics.

While recuperating from the surgery, Pawar is meeting field experts and political analysts, as well as his party members to understand the real reason behind the decimation of NCP in the Lok Sabha and state assembly elections.

In the first week of December, 73-year old Pawar sustained a leg injury from a fall in his Delhi residence. Pawar was immediately brought to Breach Candy hospital in Mumbai, where he underwent surgery.

Sunil Tatkare, state NCP president, said that Pawar is healing well and is likely to address the party workers' meeting on February 6 and 7 in Pune. "We have organised a workshop for 5,000 party leaders and elected representatives. We will decide on the next course of action and strategy in this workshop. We will emerge as the strongest opposition party in the state," Tatkare added.