Leaders Deny Reports of Merger Between Two Rival NCP Political Factions

NCP leaders Supriya Sule and Sunil Tatkare, along with Shiv Sena UBT's Sanjay Raut, have firmly rejected rumors of a merger between the two NCP factions, emphasizing that no such discussions are occurring amidst ongoing political tensions.

NCP Leaders Dismiss Merger Speculations

Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], November 14 (ANI): After NCP(SCP) MP Supriya Sule dismissed the merger reports between the two factions of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut also echoed a similar sentiment, while claiming that the "real NCP" is the one led by Sharad Pawar. Speaking to reporters, Raut said, "Merger game being played between two NCPs. Actually, there is only one real NCP, led by Sharad Pawar. The other faction belongs to Amit Shah's party. The merger drama will be over by this evening." Raut said that NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar and his daughter Supriya Sule would not join the Ajit Pawar-led faction; he said, "Sharad Pawar and Supriya Sule will not go with Amit Shah's NCP."

"There are two separate factions. One faction is struggling to stay in power, and the other faction is struggling to come to power," he said. Dismissing reports of a meeting between leaders of the two factions, Raut said, "No meeting took place yesterday. Supriya Sule and Praful Patel did not meet either. All these people are present at the meeting of the parliamentary working committee. One must also appreciate journalism. The meeting runs from 11 am to 5 pm. Is it possible to discuss a merger during that meeting?" he said. Earlier in the day, MP Supriya Sule said discussions about a possible merger between the two rival factions of the party had ended following the death of her brother and former Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar.

Speaking at a press conference, Sule said, "The merger (of both factions of the party) was discussed until my brother (Ajit Pawar) was alive. The day he left us, it put a full stop to those discussions." Ajit Pawar died on January 28 after the aircraft carrying him crashed while attempting to land at Baramati airport in Pune district. On Friday, Maharashtra NCP President and MP Sunil Tatkare also firmly put the speculations to rest. Speaking to ANI, Tatkare clarified that the NCP is not considering any merger with Sharad Pawar-led NCP (SCP). “There is absolutely no discussion regarding a merger in our party at any level,” Tatkare stated.

The political grapevine went into overdrive after senior NCP leader Praful Patel recently met Sharad Pawar. However, Tatkare was quick to dismiss the hype, framing it as a purely personal courtesy call. “Pawar Sahab has contributed to national politics for 60 years. At 86, his health hasn't been well. We have all reached various political positions with his blessings. Praful Bhai simply went to check on his health,” he explained, stressing that there was no political motive behind the visit. Reaffirming his faction's political allegiance to the BJP-led NDA, Tatkare stated, “We joined the NDA after deep consideration under the leadership of Narendra Modi. We are in the NDA and will remain in the NDA." He also took a sharp dig at Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut, who recently claimed that 20 to 22 MLAs were ready to switch sides. He said, “After the assembly elections, his mental health has deteriorated. Mentally, he is not fit. These statements are completely baseless”.

Sunil Tatkare asserted that the party will remain firmly with the NDA under the leadership of Sunetra Pawar, stating that the "question of a merger does not even arise." Clarifying his earlier remarks, Tatkare said there was "no confusion" on his part, explaining that he had simply stated that late leader Ajit Pawar ('Dada') had spoken to him in detail about a merger on February 12 and even outlined a post-merger formula. (ANI)