The untimely demise of Ajit Pawar has left a significant void in Maharashtra’s political landscape. Filling this vacuum is now a major challenge for the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), and against this backdrop, discussions around the merger of the two NCP factions have once again gathered pace.
Following the results of the Zilla Parishad and Panchayat Samiti elections, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis rushed to Delhi and met Union Home Minister Amit Shah, according to sources.
Ajit Pawar had been keen on bringing the two factions together, and there were even claims that an official announcement regarding the merger would be made on February 12. While those talks had momentarily slowed down, they have now resurfaced with renewed intensity. Parallel developments within the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have also added to the buzz, with sources indicating that the proposed NCP merger has been discussed at the party’s top level in Delhi.
Sources said that apart from reviewing the local body poll outcomes, Fadnavis and Shah also held detailed discussions on the possible merger of the NCP factions. The talks reportedly lasted for nearly an hour.
Talks of unifying the factions led by Sharad Pawar and Ajit Pawar had been doing the rounds since the beginning of the year. In the Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad civic elections, both factions contested together in several wards, with candidates even sharing the party’s traditional ‘clock’ symbol in some areas. Ajit Pawar was said to be actively pushing for unity and was reportedly in discussions with senior leader Jayant Patil.
The Sharad Pawar faction had also claimed that Ajit Pawar was set to formally announce the merger on February 12.
However, senior leaders from Ajit Pawar’s camp and ally BJP had maintained silence on the issue. Some leaders said they were unaware of any such talks, while Fadnavis had earlier stated that Ajit Pawar would have informed him had there been any concrete move, given their alliance. Despite this, merger discussions have once again picked up steam, with political activity intensifying in Delhi.
Meanwhile, Sunetra Pawar formally took charge at Mantralaya today after being sworn in as Deputy Chief Minister. She is attending the Cabinet meeting later in the day and is expected to leave for Delhi after the meeting. These developments are being seen as strong signals pointing towards an imminent merger of the two NCP factions.
