Maharashtra NCP chief dismisses ‘merger’ buzz with Sharad Pawar party

Mumbai: Amid statements by some leaders of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) that the Sharad Pawar-led group and the Ajit Pawar-led NCP were to merge after zilla parishad elections this month, the latter’s state unit chief on Monday indicated that such a unification appeared a remote possibility.

Talking to reporters at Karad in western Maharashtra‘s Satara district, Maharashtra NCP president Sunil Tatkare said there should be clarity on “which party was to merge with which party,” remarks aimed at putting to rest speculation about reunification between the two parties.

With the swearing in of Ajit Pawar’s 62-year-old wife Sunetra Pawar as the state’s first woman Deputy CM three days after his death, it is unlikely that the much-talked-about merger will happen, a source said.

Tatkare said the party, under late Ajit Pawar’s leadership, had collectively decided to join the BJP-led NDA and will stay in the ruling bloc and wondered which faction was to merge with whom.

The Lok Sabha member from Raigad said appointing Sunetra Pawar as the NCP legislature party head on Saturday was the party’s own decision and the BJP, which leads the ruling Mahayuti alliance, had nothing to do with the move.

Sunetra Pawar took oath as deputy CM on Saturday, three days after Ajit Pawar died in a plane crash at Baramati in Pune district.

“Under Ajit dada’s leadership, we had taken a collective decision to join the BJP-led NDA,” Tatkare said.

NCP (SP) leaders, including Sharad Pawar, have claimed that merger talks were in advanced stages and Ajit Pawar had finalised February 12 as the date to announce reunification between the rival factions.

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said if the merger talks were really in progress, then Ajit Pawar would have shared details with him.

Asked why senior NCP (SP) leaders Sharad Pawar and Supriya Sule were not present at the swearing in of Sunetra Pawar, Tatkare said it was the job of the protocol department to send out invitations for such events.

Senior NCP leader and minister Hasan Mushrif told reporters that Sunetra Pawar and the Pawar family will take a call on the merger issue.

“I had heard Ajit dada speaking about reunification at campaign meetings for local body polls, but there was no talk with senior party leaders and NCP (SP) functionaries (on merger). NCP-SP leader Jayant Patil told me that talks were on with Ajit Pawar on the issue, but I am not aware if the BJP was in the loop and agreed to reunification,” Mushrif said.

NCP (SP) MLA Jitendra Awhad said it was “2,000 per cent correct” that merger talks were on between the rival groups.

State NCP (SP) president Shashikant Shinde said his party is now focusing on the February 7 zilla parishad and panchayat samiti polls in Maharashtra.

Congress leader Vijay Wadettiwar said a conspiracy has been hatched to prevent the merger of the NCP factions.

He sought an “impartial inquiry” into Ajit Pawar’s death, saying several doubts have been raised in regard to the air crash.

Calling the BJP leadership the “mastermind” behind Sunetra Pawar’s appointment as Maharashtra deputy chief minister, an editorial in ‘Saamana’, mouthpiece of the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena, on Monday expressed hope that she would not remain a “gungi gudiya” (mute doll) under the saffron party’s influence.

The Marathi daily also alleged that the BJP leadership and NCP leaders Sunil Tatkare and Praful Patel do not want the unification of the two NCP factions.

Shiv Sena (UBT) Rajya Sabha member Sanjay Raut demanded an independent judicial inquiry into Ajit Pawar’s death.

Participating in the motion of thanks on the President’s address in the Upper House, Raut said Ajit Pawar, who was investigated in an alleged Rs 70,000 crore irrigation scam in Maharashtra, was “no longer tainted” once he became a partner of the BJP.

On January 15, Ajit Pawar gave a statement that the BJP embezzled a lot of money in the scam, and days later, he died in a horrific air crash, Raut said.

“There should be an investigation. There should be an independent judicial inquiry,” he demanded.