Not appointed as NCP chief Praful Patel Ajitdada would have confided in me about merger plans says Fadnavis

    Mumbai, Feb 1 (PTI) Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Sunday appeared questioning NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar's claim on the merger discussions initiated by NCP leader Ajit Pawar, asserting that if that is the case, the late Deputy CM would have shared details with him.
    Separately, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) working president Praful Patel has termed as baseless reports that he has been appointed as the party's national president.
    A day after late Ajit Pawar's wife, Sunetra Pawar, was sworn in as Deputy CM and elected the NCP legislative party leader, Patel emphasised that a decision on picking the national president will only be made by consulting senior leadership, MLAs, office-bearers, and party members.
    Sharad Pawar on Saturday said his nephew Ajit Pawar had finalised February 12 to announce the “merger” between the NCP factions; however, the process may face a roadblock due to the latter's death in a plane crash.
    On Sunday, Fadnavis told reporters that Ajit Pawar shared everything with him.
    "Can the merger talks be finalised without our knowledge? We are not aware of the February 12 date being claimed as the date for the formal announcement of the merger," he said.
    The NCP is an independent party that takes its own decisions, but as a BJP ally, it is expected to consult the party before moving ahead, the CM said.
    Fadnavis scotched reports that the BJP was opposing the reunification of the two NCP factions.
    "If Ajit Pawar was working on a merger, would he do so without taking the BJP into confidence? Was he preparing to quit the NDA where he was stable? He shared everything with me. If the NCP merger discussions had been in their final stages, then the late Ajit Pawar would have shared it with me," he said.
    A video of the January 17 meeting between Ajit Pawar and his uncle Sharad Pawar has also gone viral on social media.
    Fadnavis stated that he was not aware of Ajit Pawar's talks with Sharad Pawar and was also unaware of the February 12 date.
    Amidst a churn in the NCP, late Ajit Pawar's nephew and NCP (SP) MLA, Rohit Pawar, on Sunday stated that he had been involved in merger talks over the last three months.
    "I have met Ajitdada several times on the issue. I will reveal the contents of the discussion after the 13-day mourning period ends," he said.
    Fadnavis further said that he kept the Finance portfolio held by the late Ajit Pawar to himself after speaking to NCP leaders, as he would have to present the state Budget, a day after Sunetra Pawar was allotted all departments except Finance held by her late husband.
    "I will present the state budget. The budget is not merely about making a speech but involves a series of departmental meetings. Such a big exercise was not immediately possible for Sunetra Pawar, and it is wrong to expect it of her. We will take a call (on the finance portfolio) after the budget session," he said.
    Responding to criticism over the haste in the oath-taking of Sunetra Pawar, the chief minister said the NCP would reply to it, adding that decisions are often driven by circumstances. Rajiv Gandhi was sworn in (as prime minister on October 31, 1984) even before Indira Gandhi’s cremation, he noted.
    Meanwhile, NCP working president Praful Patel stated on X: "I have noted a few reports circulating in the media regarding my appointment as the National President of the Nationalist Congress Party. I wish to state with absolute clarity that these reports are totally baseless and lack any truth.”
    Patel’s statement came after remarks by Union minister Piyush Goyal in an interview with PTI.
    Goyal said in a post on X on Sunday that he had made the remarks on the basis of incorrect information.
    "A senior journalist had given me incorrect information that Praful Patel has been elected as the president of the Nationalist Congress Party. Without verifying the information, I had given some statements in the media, but later it came to light that the information was wrong, and the Nationalist Congress Party is continuing to work under the leadership of Deputy Chief Minister Sunetra Ajitdada Pawar. I express my regret for the misleading information," Goyal said.
    Patel stated that the NCP is a democratic institution, and a decision of this magnitude (on naming the national president) will only be made by consulting our senior leadership and MLAs, engaging with our dedicated party office-bearers, and respecting the sentiments and collective will of all our party members.
    Being a national party, we follow the established process in these matters,” Patel said.
    Maharashtra NCP president Sunil Tatkare told PTI that the party will follow the due procedure of taking into cognisance the sentiments of workers, office-bearers, and leaders while taking any decision in this regard.
    On the question of leadership within the NCP, MNS president Raj Thackeray said on Saturday that the working president of the Nationalist Congress Party, which is truly rooted in Marathi soil, should be a Maharashtrian, a Patil perhaps, but not a Patel!

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