Ajit Pawar had planned NCP merger for Feb 12; Sharad Pawar says plane crash halted talks

Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) founder Sharad Pawar on Saturday indicated that plans to merge the party’s two factions, originally slated for February 12, have been put on hold after the death of Maharashtra deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar. He suggested that leaders from Ajit Pawar’s camp are no longer keen on the merger, even as his own faction remains open to unification.

Speaking at his first press conference since Ajit Pawar’s passing, Sharad Pawar said the merger discussions, which had been ongoing for four months, have been interrupted, leaving the party’s future direction uncertain.

“Unfortunately, Ajit Pawar’s plane crash has halted the merger talks,” he said. “Our desire is also that the two sides should come together.”

Speculation has grown that the urgency behind Sunetra Pawar, Ajit Pawar’s widow, taking oath as deputy chief minister may have been influenced by internal anxieties within Ajit Pawar’s faction. Party insiders suggest the move was prompted by pressure from the rival faction to push through a merger and by concerns that without a strong power centre, the party could lose cohesion.

Reflecting on these developments, Sharad Pawar said, “There may be a feeling that someone has to take responsibility of the NCP and possibly out of this reason, the latest development (Sunetra Pawar’s oath-taking) may be taking place.” Sunetra Pawar is scheduled to take oath at 5 pm on Saturday.

Sharad Pawar also highlighted Ajit Pawar’s central role in the merger talks. “Ajit Pawar had proposed February 12 as a tentative date for the merger and was actively involved in discussions. He was an effective leader,” he said.

The NCP founder sought to distance himself from the negotiations, noting, “While I was not involved in the merger talks, it was taking place between Jayant Patil from my party and Ajit Pawar from the NCP.”

When asked whether Sunetra Pawar’s oath-taking suggested undue haste, Sharad Pawar said, “I don’t know if there’s haste,” adding that the move “possibly was from within their party.”

The NCP factions split in July 2023 when Ajit Pawar took more than 40 of the party’s 54 MLAs to join the BJP-led Mahayuti government. Following the split, Sharad Pawar’s faction was named Nationalist Congress Party – Sharadchandra Pawar.

A rare collaboration between the rival factions was seen in recent municipal elections in Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad, though the reunion failed to translate into victory, with the BJP securing decisive wins in both civic bodies.