NCP keeps political merger pot boiling 'will discuss if we receive proposal from NCP SP '

    Mumbai, May 14 (PTI) The Ajit Pawar-led NCP on Wednesday said it was not averse to discussing a proposal of merger, if it were to be moved by the NCP (SP) faction, even though it rejected the current speculation on the likely reunion as media guesswork.
    For its part, the NCP (SP) camp shrugged off the merger rumours, fuelled by Sharad Pawar a few days back when he reportedly suggested that the party working president, Supriya Sule, and (NCP chief) Ajit Pawar will decide on the issue.
    The undivided NCP split in July 2023 after Ajit Pawar joined the BJP-led Mahayuti government almost two years ago.
    "The media reports are just guesswork. NCP (SP) has not come up with any merger proposal. If we receive a formal request, NCP leaders Ajit Pawar, Praful Patel and Sunil Tatkare will discuss it with core committee leaders like Chhagan Bhujbal, Dilip Walse Patil, Hasan Mushrif, and Dhananjay Munde," Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) spokesperson Anand Paranjpye told reporters.
    He stressed the NCP's willingness to "join hands with any party which accepts the leadership of Ajit Pawar".
    Senior NCP (SP) leader Anil Deshmukh, however, rejected speculation about a potential merger between the factions led by Sharad Pawar and Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, stressing that no such discussion was held in the NCP (SP) camp.
    NCP (SP) chief Jayant Patil dismissed the need to issue any clarification on the political speculation in the media while addressing the party office-bearers at the state executive meeting.
    An NCP (SP) leader said routine organisation issues, especially those about local bodies' polls, were discussed.
    "Only senior leader Ankush Kakde clarified that he hasn't written to Sharad Pawar about a merger (reported by a section of media). Kakde said he had only mentioned the factual position of parties in Pune," the office-bearer said.
    Mehboob Shaikh, who heads the NCP (SP) youth wing, demanded that the party leadership clear the confusion about a potential merger with Ajit Pawar.
    In response, Jayant Patil said, "We should focus on elections to local bodies and create awareness about the caste census. The government accepting the demand (for caste enumeration) is a huge victory of the Opposition".
    The meeting was convened to prepare a comprehensive roadmap for the NCP (SP)'s future initiatives and electoral strategy.
    Patil urged all district and taluka-level units to strengthen booth-wise machinery ahead of the elections to local bodies, whose schedule is yet to be declared by the Election Commission.
    He alleged "rampant corruption" in various departments under the Mahayuti government and appealed to the party office-bearers to expose such practices.
    Patil proposed to enrol new volunteers to widen its outreach to youngsters and women.
    He said senior NCP (SP) leaders will launch tours across Maharashtra and interact with citizens and highlight the "anti-people policies" of the government.
    He stated that issues concerning common people, farm distress, and unemployment will be highlighted.
    NCP (SP) spokesperson Mahesh Tapase said the NCP (SP) is committed to resolving the issues of the common man.
    "The speculation about the potential merger is just a media discussion. No meeting or discussion has been held in the NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar) camp," Deshmukh told reporters in Nagpur.
    The ruling BJP, meanwhile, made light of the reunion rumours.
    Maharashtra minister Chandrakant Patil said the rumoured merger has never taken shape and it has always remained a matter of speculation.
    The NCP, founded by Sharad Pawar in 1999, split in July 2023 when Ajit Pawar, then the Leader of the Opposition, joined the ruling Mahayuti alliance, then led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, taking several MLAs with him.
    Ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, Ajit Pawar secured the official party name and election symbol, while Sharad Pawar had to register his faction as NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar), with a new symbol.
    Sharad Pawar-led NCP (SP) was decimated in the previous year's assembly polls by the NCP headed by Ajit Pawar, which won 41 seats.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)