Mumbai: Senior leaders of the Ajit Pawar–led Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) were informed in advance about plans to merge the two warring factions, NCP (Ajit Pawar) and NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar), senior NCP (SP) leader Jayant Patil has claimed, according to reports. His remarks come amid intense churn in Maharashtra politics following Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar’s death in a plane crash and parallel moves to reunify the split party.
Speaking to reporters, Patil said that the roadmap for a merger had been finalised in mid‑January and that Ajit Pawar had personally briefed his top lieutenants. “Ajit Pawar had told us that he had informed Praful Patel, Sunil Tatkare, Chhagan Bhujbal and other leaders of his party about the plans of merger,” Patil said, adding that it was “wrong” to now suggest they were unaware of the exercise.
Patil detailed that a decision was taken on January 16 to announce the merger after the Zilla Parishad elections on February 8, but the date was later pushed to February 12 due to his own prior engagement in Delhi, the reports said. “It was decided that after the local body polls, we would formally announce one, united NCP,” he noted, portraying the move as Ajit Pawar’s “final wish” that both factions come together under one flag while Sharad Pawar remained active in politics.
His statement directly counters leaders like NCP MLA Anil Patil, who had earlier claimed only Ajit Pawar knew the full details of the proposed merger. It also adds a new twist to the power play within the party, as Sharad Pawar has publicly indicated that “it seems the process will now be discontinued” after his nephew’s death, even as other leaders continue to bat for unity.
With Sunetra Pawar set to take over as Maharashtra’s Deputy Chief Minister and both factions under pressure to honour Ajit Pawar’s legacy, Jayant Patil’s disclosure is expected to sharpen the internal debate over who leads a possible reunited NCP and on whose terms.
