India, Nov. 21 -- The Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) suffered a major setback ahead of the upcoming local body elections after one of its senior leaders, Salil Deshmukh, resigned from the party on Wednesday.

While Deshmukh cited poor health as the reason behind his decision, political observers in Nagpur believe he may soon join Ajit Pawar's NCP faction, which is in the ruling Mahayuti alliance, and contest the upcoming zilla parishad elections on its ticket.

Salil Deshmukh, the son of former Maharashtra home minister Anil Deshmukh, announced his resignation at a press conference on Wednesday evening. "For the last 20-22 years, I have been active in the Nationalist Congress Party under the leadership of Sharad Pawar. I...