Shiv Sena (UBT) on Saturday criticised reports about a possible merger between the two NCP factions. The party said these talks create unnecessary confusion in Maharashtra politics. It advised Sharad Pawar and other leaders against engaging in prolonged discussions with the rival group, which is currently aligned with the BJP.
Talks on reuniting the two NCP factions gained momentum earlier this month: Reports
MUMBAI: Amid speculation over a possible merger of the two Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) factions, Shiv Sena (UBT) on Saturday criticised the reported power-sharing proposals being discussed as part of the negotiations, including the possibility of appointing Sharad Pawar as national president and Sunetra Pawar as working president. Meanwhile, Ms Sule said the merger discussions ended for her after her cousin Ajit Pawar's death.
An editorial titled "Let's Play Merger Merger", published in the Shiv Sena (UBT) mouthpiece Saamana, said the unconfirmed proposals also included inducting leaders such as Jayant Patil and Jitendra Awhad into the state Cabinet while Supriya Sule took on a role at the national level.
The Uddhav Thackeray-led party, however, criticised the prolonged negotiations between the two factions, saying they were detrimental to the image of veteran leader Sharad Pawar and the broader Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance. It alleged that discussions over a merger, while the Sharad Pawar-led NCP (SP) remains a constituent of the MVA and the national INDIA bloc, were creating "unnecessary confusion" in Maharashtra politics.
The editorial advised senior leaders, including Sharad Pawar, Supriya Sule, Jayant Patil and Shashikant Shinde, against engaging in prolonged discussions with the rival faction led by Sunetra Pawar, Parth Pawar, Praful Patel and Sunil Tatkare, which is currently aligned with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Saamana noted that while Supriya Sule had recently announced that the chapter on merger talks was closed, "experts in this game say" that the negotiations would be concluded and a final decision announced.
"Sunil Tatkare, who previously denied that merger talks had ever taken place between Ajit Pawar and Sharad Pawar, is now saying that Ajit Pawar was actively working towards uniting the factions. Ajit Pawar had grown uncomfortable within the ruling alliance led by the BJP and had decided to return. But people like Tatkare and Praful Patel did not agree with him and kept creating hurdles in the reunification process. Now, the same people are restless because they have to work under the leadership of Sunetra Pawar and Parth Pawar. Therefore, they have started discussions on a merger," the editorial said.
Talks on reuniting the two NCP factions gained momentum earlier this month after senior leaders from Sunetra Pawar's faction, including Praful Patel and Chhagan Bhujbal, visited an ailing Sharad Pawar in hospital and at his residence.
Shiv Sena (UBT), an alliance partner of Sharad Pawar's faction, criticised the back-channel meetings. "Entertaining merger talks while remaining a constituent of the Maha Vikas Aghadi and the national INDIA bloc creates unnecessary confusion in Maharashtra politics and undermines the ideological legacy of leaders like Shahu Maharaj, Jyotirao Phule, B.R. Ambedkar and Yashwantrao Chavan," the Saamana editorial said.
Leaders from the ruling NCP faction, including state NCP president Sunil Tatkare and minister Chhagan Bhujbal, have publicly stated that merger discussions had been underway before Ajit Pawar's death. Bhujbal has claimed that Ajit Pawar and NCP (SP) leader Jayant Patil had previously discussed reunification in his presence, while Tatkare has asserted that the merger would have materialised had Ajit Pawar been alive.
Subsequent visits to Sharad Pawar by Sunetra Pawar and Parth Pawar fuelled media speculation about potential power-sharing formulas. While Sunetra Pawar has stated that clarity would be provided at the "appropriate time", Ms Sule has publicly dismissed the rumours.
Ms Sule rejected speculation about her party joining the BJP-led NDA. "When my brother (Ajit Pawar) was alive, there were discussions about a merger. A date had also been decided. But the day my brother passed away, the merger issue came to a full stop for me and within our party," she said.
The NCP (SP) working president further said that nobody from the Ajit Pawar faction has approached for the merger after his death. "Not a single phone call, WhatsApp message, SMS, letter or email has come to me from anyone in the Ajit Pawar faction regarding a merger. Nobody has contacted me. No one has met me regarding this," Ms Sule said.