Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) founder Sharad Pawar, whose outfit suffered a split in early July in Maharashtra, will address a public rally in Kolhapur on Friday, a week ahead of the opposition INDIA alliance meeting in Mumbai, his faction said on Tuesday.

Since rebellion by his nephew Ajit Pawar, who joined hands with the BJP and the Shiv Sena last month and became deputy chief minister, the NCP patriarch has been holding rallies in different parts of the state. He addressed a rally on August 17 in Beed district, the home turf of NCP (Ajit Pawar group) leader and cabinet minister Dhananjay Munde.