The political landscape of Maharashtrawas plunged into fresh chaos and uncertainty this week as Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar lost his lifein a fiery plane crash. Buzz about a potential reunion between the two factions of the Nationalist Congress Party(NCP) have also gained momentum – even as the BJP-led state government geared up to induct the late leader’s wife Sunetra Pawaras Deputy CM on Saturday. Party founder Sharad Pawarhas also cast doubt on the immediate possibility of a unified front following recent events.
“Unfortunately, Ajit Pawar’s plane crash has halted the merger talks. Our desire is also that the two sides should come together,” the senior Pawar told ANI on Saturday.
By his own account, the two factions of NCP were scheduled to reunite on February 12 before the death of his nephew made it unlikely. The role of Sunetra Pawar also remains crucial to the merger process – with speculative reports suggesting she could be tapped to lead the merged party.
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Meanwhile a source-based NDTV report predicted on Friday evening that the merger would come through after local body elections concluded. A formal announcement would reportedly be made in the second week of February. The publication reported that leaders from both factions were expected to meet next week to finalise the merger — but noted that some members of the NCP faction (led until recently by Ajit Pawar) remained hesitant about an immediate tie-up.
Sharad Pawar distances himself from merger talks
However on Tuesday, party founder Sharad Pawar distanced himself from recent developments. He said several decisions being reported were internal matters of the Ajit Pawar-led faction and were not discussed with his group. Speaking to reporters, he said talks on a possible merger had taken place earlier but now seemed uncertain.
“For the last four months, Ajit Pawar and Jayant Patil discussed the issue of the merger of two parties. Now, the unfortunate accident has happened. It seems that the process will now be discontinued,” Pawar said, suggesting that recent events could halt the reconciliation process.
He confirmed that senior leaders from both sides had been involved in earlier discussions. “Ajit Pawar, Jayant Patil and Shashikant Shinde were involved in the talks of merger,” Pawar said.
However, he stressed that recent decisions being linked to a unified party were purely internal matters of the Ajit Pawar-led NCP.
“The decision of selecting Sunetra Pawar as the legislative party leader is the internal issue of the NCP,” he said.
No clarity on Deputy CM reports, says Sharad Pawar
Responding to reports that Sunetra Pawar could be made Deputy Chief Minister, Pawar said he had no information about it. “I have no knowledge about Sunetra Pawar being getting selected as deputy CM. It must be the internal matter of the NCP. I am reading some names like Praful Patel, Sunil Tatkare in newspaper. They must have decided it for their party,” he said.
He also said there had been no communication between the two factions on future political moves. “There was no discussion with anyone on future developments between NCP and NCP-SP,” Pawar said.
On reports of a possible swearing-in ceremony, Pawar said his faction was completely unaware of any such event. “I have no idea about the swearing in and have come to know about it through news. How can we be there? We are not aware. Whether the swearing in is actually happening or not is also not known,” he added when asked if any member of the Pawar family would attend.
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Senior leaders from both sides said that Ajit Pawar, who died in a plane crash on Wednesday, had laid the groundwork for the merger. He reportedly held several meetings with his uncle, Sharad Pawar, in December and January. The two leaders were planning to officially announce the merger at a joint press conference after the local body polls, according to the NDTV report.
Differences remain over timing of merger
However, some leaders from the Ajit Pawar-led faction are not in favour of an immediate merger, believing it is being used for “political gain”. In contrast, leaders from the Sharad Pawar faction are pushing for the merger to happen right away, the report mentioned. Sunetra Pawar is said to have a key role in the merger process, it added.
Apart from Sharad Pawar, three leaders are seen as frontrunners to lead the merged NCP – Ajit Pawar’s wife Sunetra Pawar, Supriya Sule and Praful Patel. Within the party, there is growing support for appointing Sunetra Pawar, a Rajya Sabha MP, as both the party president and legislative party leader. If this plan does not materialise due to technical or political reasons, Praful Patel is likely to be the next option, the report mentioned. |
