NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar) Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA) Rohit Pawar on Monday dismissed speculation regarding a merger between the two Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) factions.
Pawar asserted that no such discussions were underway within his party. He further alleged that the reports were designed to set a political narrative, news agency PTI reported.
Speaking to the media after meeting his grand uncle and party president Sharad Pawar at his residence in Mumbai, Rohit Pawar said that neither the veteran leader nor the party’s working president, Supriya Sule, had ever discussed an NCP merger or alignment with the BJP.
“If merger talks were underway, Supriya tai or Pawar Saheb would have spoken to me. There has been no discussion on the merger in our party. The discussion is only in Ajit Dada’s party and in the media,” said Rohit Pawar.
Merger speculation emerged after NCP leaders’ meeting with Sharad Pawar
The merger buzz gained traction last week after several leaders of the Sunetra Pawar-led NCP, including Praful Patel and Parth Pawar, met Sharad Pawar, who was recently hospitalised for a chest infection.
Furthermore, a viral video also showed Sharad Pawar and Patel discussing a possible meeting after November 10. Amid such speculation, NCP state president Sunil Tatkare claimed the merger of the two factions would have taken place in February this year had Ajit Pawar been alive.
Following the sequence of incidents, the Karjat Jamkhed MLA claimed that the speculation was aimed at creating a particular political narrative, asserting that he remained among the most vocal critics of the BJP-led government in Maharashtra.
NCP (SP) won’t join NDA, says Sanjay Raut amid merger buzz
On November 8, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut had also asserted that the NCP (SP) would not join the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA), amid growing speculation about a possible merger of the two NCP factions.
Speaking to reporters in Mumbai, Raut said the NCP (SP) would not become part of the ruling alliance. His remarks came after several leaders of the Sunetra Pawar-led NCP met Sharad Pawar in recent days, fuelling speculation about a possible reunion.
(With PTI inputs)
