NCP, NCP-SP merger ruled out? Here is what Sharad Pawar said

Veteran politician Sharad Pawar seems to have put a full stop to speculations about possible reunification of the Nationalist Congress Party and the Nationalist Congress Party-Sharad Pawar factions, saying that there was no chance that his party would join hands with those who are with the BJP.

 

“Those who allied with BJP are mere opportunists. We are from the Congress ideological background. Pune has always supported Congress ideology. There is no way we are going with anyone who is with BJP. It is against our ideology,” said Pawar at a gathering of NCP-SP workers in Pimpri Chinchwad near Pune.

 

The NCP was founded by Pawar in 1999, but split in 2023 when his nephew Ajit Pawar, along with other leaders, joined the BJP-led government in Maharashtra. Ajit Pawar was sworn in as deputy chief minister, and the Election Commission recognised his group as the original NCP.

 

Speculation about a possible merger of the Ajit Pawar-led NCP with NCP-Sharad Pawar was rife because of frequent meetings between the two. Also, Sharad Pawar had said that the call for the merger was something that the younger generation – that is, his daughter Supriya Sule, who is an MP – should take.

 

After the split, Sule felt personally hurt that Ajit Pawar fielded his wife Sunetra against her in Baramati constituency during the Lok Sabha polls. So, Sule was not in favour of going with Ajit Pawar again. She had the support of senior party legislators like Jitendra Avhad. On the other hand, young turks like MLA Rohit Pawar, did not mind the reunification of the two factions.

 

Interestingly, Ajit Pawar has not said anything about the possible reunification. His party president Sunil Tatkare had, however, turned down the idea at the outset itself.

 

Pawar also asked the party cadres to stop "worrying" about the leaders who left the party, and instead work for the upcoming local body elections.

India