India, May 18 -- Surprising many in the state's political circles, NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar on Thursday mouthed words of praise for Sunil Tatkare, the state president of the rival NCP faction, when media persons asked him about Takare's visit to his residence on Tuesday. This was the day Tatkare discovered that the letter sent by NCP chief Sunetra Pawar to the Election Commission of India did not mention him as state NCP head.

In his interaction with the media, Pawar pointed out that Tatkare was once finance minister of Maharashtra and had been state president of the NCP for quite some time. Adding that Tatkare was a "capable leader", he remarked that it was a question of how his current organisation used people like him.

The remarks...