Mumbai, Nov 6 (IANS) The Maharashtra Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) Chief and MP Sunil Tatkare said on Friday that if the former party Chief and Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar had been around, both Nationalist Congress factions would have been united today.
Tatkare said, “Discussions about the merger definitely took place when Ajit Pawar Dada was alive. He had also outlined how the merger would happen. If Ajit Dada were here, the merger would have happened on February 12. This would have been made possible through Ajit Dada’s fierce willpower. I was a close aide of Ajit Dada, which is why I am aware of this matter.”
“Ajit Pawar passed away in an accident on January 28, which is why things did not proceed further,” he added.
Tatkare said on Friday that the merger was scheduled for February 12, reiterating that if Ajit Pawar were alive, both parties would have been seen unified.
Ajit Pawar’s death triggered widespread discussions about the merger of the two Nationalist Congress parties.
However, NCP-SP Working President Supriya Sule had earlier said that since those discussions were held directly with Ajit Pawar and he is no longer with us, the topic is practically closed.
Sule had also mentioned that merger discussions had indeed taken place with Ajit Pawar and that the merger would have happened had he been alive.
Tatkare’s statement comes a day after NCP Working President Praful Patel’s meeting with NCP-SP Chief Sharad Pawar on Thursday night sparked political buzz about merger or reunion between two NCP factions.
Patel inquired Sharad Pawar about his health and also discussed political issues.
He met the NCP-SP Chief at the Mumbai hospital where the latter has been admitted on Wednesday and is currently undergoing treatment.
Patel after the meeting confirmed that he and Sharad Pawar also spoke on the politics though he declined to divulge further details.
He said that he had visited to check on the health of Sharad Pawar.
He mentioned that Sharad Pawar’s health is very good.
“He (Sharad Pawar) had some fatigue due to which he went to Ruby Hall Clinic in Pune, and now he has come to Breach Candy for a complete check-up.”
Patel also said, “Sharad Pawar Saheb was smiling and asking about what is going on politically. His health is currently very good. Whatever our political stances may be, our personal affection remains intact. Our political paths had drifted apart, but I keep meeting Sharad Pawar Saheb as we have family ties. Sharad Pawar only asked generally about what is happening in politics. He inquired about what is going on in the country and the state, and even asked about America.”
Patel’s meeting took place a day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi telephoned Sharad Pawar on Wednesday to inquire about his health.
Speaking to media persons outside the hospital, Sharad Pawar’s family friend and close aide Vitthal Maniyar said that PM Modi warmly requested the veteran politician to prioritise his health and rest.
The Prime Minister told Sharad Pawar that “Supriya (Sule) and we will handle the country; you take care of your health and rest. Let your blessings remain with us.”
The meeting deserves importance especially when amid growing tension between NCP’s veteran and young leaders, a group of senior leaders on Sunday night met the Union Home Minister Amit Shah and reportedly complained about the unilateral functioning of NCP-MP Parth Pawar.
The delegation comprising of all top leaders of NCP, except party chief Sunetra Pawar and her son and MP Parth Pawar, was reportedly advised by Union Minister Shah to ‘pull up the socks’ as the collapse of NCP organisation was hurting MahaYuti in Maharashtra.
Thereafter, Praful Patel, Minister Chhagan Bhujbal and former Minister Dilip Walse Patil briefed the core committee led by party chief and Deputy CM Sunetra Pawar on Monday.
Even though NCP has denied merger or reunion with NCP-SP, Praful Patel’s meeting with Sharad Pawar has revived the talk in this regard.
Praful Patel said he is expected to meet Pawar on or after November 10 again.
Interestingly, the Sunetra Pawar-led NCP after its core committee meeting held on October 25 announced that there will be no merger between two NCP factions.
The explicit refusal by the NCP to entertain any merger or share organisational control with the NCP-SP faction marked a defining juncture in Maharashtra’s political trajectory.
Beyond a mere denial of reconciliation, this decision codified the permanent structural rift within the Pawar legacy and reshapes coalition dynamics across both sides of the state’s political divide.
The refusal to share control or merge signals that the era of tactical ambiguity between the two NCP factions is officially over.
Both outfits are now set on divergent trajectories, setting up a long-term electoral contest for the legacy of the party’s original mandate.
By firmly ruling out a merger or power-sharing agreement, the ruling NCP faction reinforced its commitment to the MahaYuti alliance alongside the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Shiv Sena.
Having secured official recognition and symbol rights from the Election Commission, the ruling NCP seeks to establish itself not as a temporary breakaway group, but as the sole legitimate vehicle of the party’s administrative future.
Retaining full structural autonomy allows the party to maintain its bargaining power within Cabinet portfolios and regional seat-sharing negotiations without the threat of internal ideological dilution.
–IANS
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