Mumbai, 30 Jan

The proposed merger of two Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) factions - each headed by Ajit Pawar, who was killed in a plane crash two days ago, and his uncle Sharad Pawar - is "very much on course", with talks reaching an "advanced stage" even before the deputy chief minister's death, sources said.

However, the merger will also bring with it change in power dynamics as the NCP (SP) camp believes that veteran leader Sharad Pawar will now naturally resume a "central role" in guiding the unified cadre, while the ruling NCP is keen on proposing late Ajit Pawar's wife Sunetra Pawar, a Rajya Sabha MP, for the post of deputy CM to maintain the family's political legacy, they said.

The talks about the reunification had already started when Ajit Pawar was alive. In fact, the two parties even contested the civic polls in Pune and Pimpri Chinchwad together.

The NCP, founded by Sharad Pawar in 1999, was vertically split after Ajit Pawar joined the Eknath Shinde-led Mahayuti government in July 2023. He was appointed the deputy CM at that time. Pawar's stint in the same post continued after Devendra Fadnavis came to the helm as CM following the November 2024 assembly polls.

The claim over the (NCP's) party name and poll symbol had seen a bitter contest between the two factions with Ajit Pawar's camp getting the original 'NCP' name and analogue alarm clock poll symbol.

At present, NCP is part of the Mahayuti government, while NCP (SP) is a constituent of the Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA).

Ajit Pawar (66), popularly known as 'Dada' (elder brother), was killed along with four others when the chartered plane carrying them crashed near the Baramati airstrip in Pune district on Wednesday morning. The development not only left the political fraternity, his followers and commoners shocked, but is likely to change the course of politics in the state.

After the recent civic polls, the talks of merger between the two NCP factions gained momentum.

Sources within the NCP (SP) said both sides had reached an "advanced stage" of negotiations prior to Wednesday's plane crash, with a tentative merger announcement originally planned for February 8, shortly after the conclusion of the upcoming Zilla Parishad and Panchayat Samiti polls.

"The process of bringing the family and the party back together was already in motion. Ajit dada himself had held several rounds of discussions with senior leaders to bridge the gap," the sources told PTI.

The two factions had already demonstrated a "thaw" in relations by contesting the Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad municipal elections jointly under the NCP's clock symbol.

According to the sources, the strategy was to "test the waters" during the local body elections and consolidate the vote bank of both groups before announcing a full-scale merger.

With the sudden passing of Ajit Pawar, the NCP (SP) camp believes veteran leader Sharad Pawar will now naturally resume a "centralrole" in guiding the unified cadre, though the immediate focus remains on supporting the grieving family.

While the ruling NCP is reportedly considering to propose Sunetra Pawar's name for the post of deputy CM to maintain the family's political legacy, sources in the Sharad Pawar camp suggest that a merger would fundamentally alter the cabinet arithmetic.

"If the merger happens, NCP (SP) leaders would play pivotal roles in the state's governance and party organisation," the source added.

The reunification is seen as a move to reclaim the "sugar bowl" of Western Maharashtra, where the BJP has made significant inroads during the recent civic polls.

Analysts say a united NCP would have a formidable combination of nine Lok Sabha MPs and a significant chunk of 51 MLAs, potentially shifting the balance within the ruling Mahayuti alliance or the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA).

For now, NCP (SP) leaders maintain that their priority is the upcoming local polls on February 7, which they are contesting in coordination with the Ajit Pawar-led faction as a tribute to the late leader's final political efforts.

Ajit Pawar was viewing a possible reunion of the two NCP factions through a long-term vision, particularly keeping the 2029 elections and the party's future relevance in mind. He was confident that a merger will eventually materialise, and importantly, with the consent of his uncle, Sharad Pawar, the sources said.

Despite currently being part of the ruling alliance with the BJP and Shiv Sena, Ajit Pawar consistently maintained that he was a secular leader committed to the progressive ideological legacy of 'Shahu, Phule, and Ambedkar' (Chhatrapati Shahu Maharaj, Mahatma Phule and Dr B R Ambedkar).

This ideological positioning, according to the sources, remained central to his political thinking even while navigating the coalition compulsions.

High-level discussions regarding the merger of the two parties and future strategy involved Sharad Pawar, Supriya Sule, Ajit Pawar,and Jayant Patil. These talks focused on broader political direction, leadership alignment, and long-term electoral strategy. Secondary-level discussions were handled by leaders such as Shashikant Shinde, Rajesh Tope, and Amol Kolhe, who addressed organisational and tactical issues.