Watch: Empty chairs at NCP chief Sharad Pawar's rally in Maharashtra's Ulhasnagar

THANE: Nationalist Congress Party President Sharad Pawar faced several empty chairs while addressing a rally in Maharashtra's Ulhasnagar on Tuesday. 

Pawar's speech was scheduled to begin at 6 pm in the evening. Workers and locals had initially turned up in large numbers to hear his speech.

The NCP chief, however, arrived at the venue at 9 pm, three hours after the scheduled time. By that time, several people had left the rally. Many more were seen vacating their seats, even as Pawar began his speech. 

Undeterred by the sight of half-empty ground, the NCP chief continued with his speech.

Earlier on Tuesday, Pawar hit back at Prime Minister Narendra Modi who had attacked him for joining forces with the National Conference (NC). 

Speaking at a rally at Ausa in Maharashtra, Pawar reminded Modi that the Farooq Abdullah-led party was an ally of the BJP in the past.

"The prime minister targets me whenever he comes to Maharashtra. Today also he raised question as to why Sharad Pawar was with former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah who is like a terrorist," Pawar tweeted after addressing a campaign meeting for Mumbai Congress chief Milind Deora, who is in fray from the Mumbai South Lok Sabha seat.

"Whenever any force (`shakti') goes against Modi, it is dubbed terrorist. This is Modi's policy," Pawar tweeted in Hindi.

Modi and Pawar have been taking potshots at each other after the prime minister targeted him at a poll rally at Wardha on April 1.