Maharashtra Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) president Sunil Dattatray Tatkare on Saturday refuted claims of a merger with Sharad Pawar's faction. Speaking to reporters in Mumbai, Tatkare said that the January 17 meeting between Ajit Pawar and Sharad Pawar was regarding an alliance between the two factions for the local body elections in Maharashtra.
"The January 17 video of a meeting of Sharad Pawar and Ajit Pawar, which is being circulated, was of a tea party after an agriculture exhibition in Baramati. Ajit dada himself had told the media that the meeting was about alliance for local body polls," he was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.
Since the death of Ajit Pawar in an unfortunate plane crash near Baramati airport in Pune district on Wednesday, talks of merger of NCP and the NCP (SP) has been gaining ground. According to Sharad Pawar, Ajit Pawar wanted a reunification and the two sides were optimistic about it. "The decision on the merger was supposed to be announced on February 12. Ajit had given this date, but unfortunately, the accident took place," he said.
In 2023, Ajit had walked out of the NCP with most of the leaders and joined the Bharatiya Janata Party-led Mahayuti, causing a split in the party. But the two sides contested the municipal corporation elections in Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad together later. Although they were unsuccessful and were not able to stop the BJP juggernaut.
Sunetra Pawar resigns as Rajya Sabha MP
In another development, Sunetra Pawar has resigned as Rajya Sabha member after she was elected as the legislative party leader of the NCP in Maharashtra. Sunetra Pawar was also sworn in as Maharashtra deputy chief minister, and she will likely be given the finance, excise and planning departments, which were handled by her husband Ajit Pawar.
Sources have said that NCP leaders also want Sunetra to be appointed as party's national president. However, they noted that as of now, the party is mulling appointing Praful Patel to that position. The party will also appointed Sunetra and Ajit's son Parth Pawar to the Rajya Sabha, sources said.
Meanwhile, Ajit Pawar's last rites were held on Thursday, a day after his death in the unfortunate plane crash in Baramati. The funeral was attended by top leaders, including Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis, Tamil Nadu CM MK Stalin, BJP national president Nitin Nabin and the Pawar family.
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