03 February,2026 11:25 AM IST | Thane | mid-day online correspondent
Jitendra Awhad. File Pic
Senior NCP (SP) leader Jitendra Awhad claimed on Monday that a merger between the two factions of the Nationalist Congress Party was "2,000 per cent" certain to happen, reported news agency PTI.
The unification of the NCP (SP) led by Sharad Pawar and the NCP, headed by the late Deputy CM Ajit Pawar, was in advanced stages, he said.
The MLA visited the NCP office in Thane to pay floral tributes to the departed leader.
"It is 2,000 per cent true that the merger of the two NCPs was going to happen. While such high-level matters are for the leadership to discuss, I can say with absolute certainty that this unification was imminent," Jitendra Awhad told reporters.
He hailed the administrative acumen of Ajit Pawar, describing his death in a plane crash as an irreparable loss to Maharashtra's governance.
Awhad noted that he had not seen a leader in 40 years with such a strong command over the administration.
He praised the late leader for his lightning-fast decision-making, stating that during Ajit Pawar's tenure, "no file was ever stalled in the ministry," reported PTI.
The unification speculation gained momentum after Sharad Pawar last week claimed that it was his late nephew Ajit Pawar's wish to unite both factions, and gave a February 12 timeline for the merger.
"Now we feel his wish should be fulfilled. Ajit Pawar, Shashikant Shinde and Jayant Patil had initiated the talks about the merger of the two factions. Even the merger date had been fixed - it was scheduled on the 12th (February). Unfortunately, Ajit left us before that," he had said, reported PTI.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis had virtually dismissed Sharad Pawar's claim, saying if the merger talks were really in progress, then Ajit Pawar would have shared details with him, reported PTI.
Leaders of NCP have, however, indicated that such a unification is a remote possibility, further deepening the political intrigue.
(With inputs from PTI)
