The NCP supremo, Sharad Pawar,who was at the receiving end of his nephew's move during the day, had, 45 years ago, split the Congress and walked out with 40 MLAs, leading to the collapse of the Vasantdada Patil government.

He was sworn in as CM of the Progressive Democratic Front, which comprised several opposition parties, on July 18, 1978.He was sworn in as CM of the Progressive Democratic Front, which comprised several opposition parties, on July 18, 1978.

The southern state gained the coveted status as all the villages have been equipped with modern facilities for sanitation and waste disposal as per the parameters set by the Union Ministry of Jal Shakti, a release issued by the Kerala Solid Waste Management Project (KSWMP) said.

Kerala is targeting to achieve 100 percent ODF Model status by December 2023 and is expected to become the first state in the country to achieve that goal, it said.

(With inputs from agencies)