Merger talks between NCPs hit roadblock amid strain in Pawar family

Pune: Deputy chief minister Sunetra Pawar's move to join the state cabinet without consulting Sharad Pawar — the senior member of the family — virtually snowballed into a roadblock for the merger of the two NCP factions, besides creating an uneasiness in the family.NCP (SP) members have been attaching emotion to the merger issue by claiming that unification of the NCPs was late Ajit Pawar's last wish. NCP seniors kept avoiding discussions on the issue though, indicating that they were not too keen to take forward the merger talks Ajit Pawar and NCP (SP)'s former state president Jayant Patil had started a few months ago.
NCP (SP) chief and Ajit Pawar's uncle Sharad Pawar on Saturday hinted at the derailment of the merger talks when he said, "Ajit had finalised Feb 12 for the formal merger after holding multiple meetings with Patil, but before that announcement, the tragedy struck. Now, after the unfortunate incident, the talks between the two parties are likely to be stalled."The NCP had split in July 2023 when Ajit Pawar rebelled against his uncle and joined the BJP-Shiv Sena alliance govt with some MLAs. The two factions contested against each other in Lok Sabha and assembly polls in 2024 and targeted each other during the campaigns. They softened their stand recently and even formed an alliance in some civic bodies during the recent elections, indicating the possibility of a merger. Ajit Pawar was seen at the forefront while campaigning for the combined NCPs.Following his tragic death in a plane crash, the NCP (SP) members claimed that unification of both NCPs would be a tribute to him. "Reunion (of NCPs) was Ajit's wish, and we feel that his wish should be fulfilled. Now, Patil and others will decide the future course of action," senior Pawar said.Mainly Ajit Pawar and Patil discussed the merger issue over the past four-five months. Confirming the meetings, Patil said, "He (Ajit Pawar) recently visited my residence and discussed the merger issue over dinner. He wanted to make it happen at the earliest and seek blessings of Pawar Saheb. After his death, Sunetra Vahini can take the lead in fulfilling his wish."Amid the uncertainty over the merger of NCPs, a video surfaced on social media on Saturday of a recent meeting attended by Sharad Pawar, Ajit Pawar, Patil, NCP (SP) state chief Shashikant Shinde, his party colleague Harshvardhan Patil and MLA Rohit Pawar. Referring to it, Shinde said it was the evidence of Ajit Pawar's involvement in the merger discussion with the NCP (SP) members."The video clearly shows the reality of the meeting for merger. Had the Zilla Parishad elections not been announced, the merger would have happened by now. Since the elections were declared, members from both the sides decided to wait until the end of the polls to make a formal announcement. We are still in favour of the merger, but now members of the other party will have to take a call on the issue," Shinde said.NCP's senior members seemed non-committal on the issue. Commenting on the video of Ajit Pawar's meeting with NCP (SP) members, state chief of NCP Sunil Tatkare claimed that it was held only to discuss the alliance of NCPs for the Zilla Parishad polls. He said, "After that meeting in Baramati, Ajit Pawar himself addressed a press conference to clarify that it was convened for the civic bodies' polls alliance talks." When asked if the party would take forward the merger talks with the other faction, Tatkare said, "We will speak on the issue later."Another senior member of NCP and cabinet minister Chhagan Bhujbal, who took the lead in convincing Sunetra to join the state cabinet, also remained non-committal on the merger issue. "Considering the changed situation, it was important for Sunetra Vahini to take the responsibility of the deputy chief minister's post to guide the party forward. We will discuss other issues later," he said.