Mumbai: Speculation surrounding the merger of the two Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) factions took a decisive turn in New Delhi and Maharashtra on Saturday, with NCP-SP leader Supriya Sule and Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Sunetra Pawar independently ruling out reunification plans ahead of Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s visit to Pune.
The political manoeuvring follows the recent death of Ajit Pawar, which altered regional alliance dynamics and prompted both factions to reassess their political strategies by exploring separate terms of engagement with the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) rather than merging into a single entity.
Speaking in New Delhi, Sule firmly ruled out the merger of the Sharad Pawar-led NCP (SP) with the rival faction. She clarified that discussions regarding a potential merger were strictly linked to her cousin, former Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, and that the possibility ended on the day he died in a plane crash. Sule reiterated that the matter was now closed for her, dismissing ongoing speculation fuelled by recent meetings between leaders of the two factions and asserting that she would not entertain further questions on the issue.
On the other side of the divide, Deputy Chief Minister Sunetra Pawar has conveyed a nuanced position to the BJP’s central leadership following her recent meetings in the national capital. While ruling out a formal merger of the two NCP factions, she indicated that her faction would not oppose the Sharad Pawar-led group joining the broader NDA.
This position has exposed a strategic rift within the Bharatiya Janata Party. The BJP’s central leadership is reportedly keen on bringing NCP (SP) members of Parliament into the NDA fold to bolster its numbers at the national level. Conversely, the Maharashtra BJP unit remains sceptical and resistant to the idea of accommodating the NCP-SP faction, anticipating local electoral complications and power-sharing imbalances.
These political realignments are taking shape just as senior BJP leaders prepare for high-profile visits to NCP strongholds. Union Home Minister Amit Shah is scheduled to visit Pune on November 16 to unveil a statue of Ajit Pawar at the Pune Zilla Parishad premises, a ceremony formally requested by Sunetra Pawar. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is also expected to visit Baramati, the traditional stronghold of the Pawar family.
These visits are expected to provide an opportunity for crucial alliance negotiations, with NCP functionaries preparing to raise issues concerning coordination within the Mahayuti alliance directly with Shah.
Speculation over a unified NCP began weeks ago when senior leaders met Amit Shah in Delhi to discuss matters related to the Mahayuti alliance. Maharashtra NCP president Sunil Tatkare recently confirmed that Ajit Pawar had outlined a detailed post-merger formula in February, before his untimely demise.
However, opposition allies such as Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut have strongly dismissed the current merger speculation, asserting that, given their ideological positions, Sharad Pawar and Supriya Sule would never align with the BJP-led coalition.
As the Mahayuti prepares for Shah’s intervention, the competing signals suggest that while a formal NCP reunion is off the table, the battle for political realignment in Maharashtra remains very much alive.
