Ajit Pawar faction asks whether Sharad Pawar camp is ready to back NDA if reunion happens; As speculation over a possible reunion gains momentum in political circles, leaders from the Ajit Pawar faction have publicly questioned the intent and direction of such a move
(From left) Ajit Pawar and Sharad Pawar at NCP headquarters in 2019. File pic
Will a merger of the two Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) factions mean that the Sharad Pawar-led NCP will back or even join the Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance government at the Centre and the Devendra Fadnavis-led Mahayuti government in Maharashtra? As speculation over a possible reunion gains momentum in political circles, leaders from the Ajit Pawar faction have publicly questioned the intent and direction of such a move.
State NCP president Sunil Tatkare said those speaking about a merger must first clarify which faction would merge into the other. Stating that his party is firmly aligned with the BJP-led NDA, Tatkare posed a pointed question to leaders from the Sharad Pawar camp. “Does this proposed merger mean that the other NCP faction is ready to join the NDA or extend support to it?” Tatkare asked, adding that he had no knowledge of any formal proposal. He also claimed that the late Ajit Pawar had never discussed such a plan with him.
Echoing Tatkare’s view, senior NCP leader Chhagan Bhujbal said, “We are with the BJP. If a merger happens, does that mean we are no longer with the BJP?” Meanwhile, NCP patriarch Sharad Pawar and Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis appeared to trade barbs over the merger narrative. Following Ajit Pawar’s death in a plane crash on January 28, Sharad Pawar claimed that discussions on uniting both NCP factions had taken place and that a reunion was expected on February 12.
Responding to the claim, Fadnavis dismissed the speculation, saying Ajit Pawar had never mentioned any such plan despite sharing a close working relationship with him. “Ajit and I shared good equations and spoke often. He never spoke about the two NCP factions coming together,” Fadnavis said. According to media reports, Sharad Pawar later suggested that Ajit Pawar may have deliberately avoided sharing sensitive political plans, hinting at a lack of complete trust in Fadnavis.
New DCM at work
Maharashtra’s newly appointed Deputy Chief Minister Sunetra Pawar on Monday visited Karad in Satara district, where she paid tribute at the memorial of Maharashtra’s first Chief Minister, Yashwantrao Chavan, regarded as the political mentor of NCP founder Sharad Pawar. Later, she travelled to Phaltan to meet the family of Ajit Pawar’s personal security officer Vidip Jadhav, who died along with the late NCP chief in the Baramati air crash last week.
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