Ajit Pawar's death likely to expedite reunification of two NCPs

The sudden death of Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar may accelerate the reunification of the two factions of the Nationalist Congress Party NCP, which is likely after the zilla parishad and panchayat samiti election results.

The sudden death of Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar may accelerate the reunification of the two factions of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), which is likely after the zilla parishad and panchayat samiti election results. Despite the tragedy that claimed Pawar's life on Wednesday, negotiators from both the ruling NCP and the Sharad Pawar-led NCP (SP) confirm that the process is ''very much on course.'' The timeline for reunification had been meticulously planned by Ajit Pawar before his fatal plane crash after having tested the waters by contesting the Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad civic polls as a joint force. Sources from both the factions confirmed independently that the two factions were in the ''advanced stages'' of a permanent union. ''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,'' sources in the know of developments told PTI. 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 Ajit Pawar-led NCP holds 40 seats in the Maharashtra Assembly (excluding the deceased leader's own seat of Baramati, now vacant), while the Sharad Pawar faction has 10. Following a merger, all eyes will be on whether the unified party remains a part of the BJP-led Mahayuti government. However, even if the party exits the ruling alliance, the Devendra Fadnavis government would remain secure, maintaining a commanding majority. The alliance at present has a strength of 235 MLAs including the NCP in the 288-member House. 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). Ajit Pawar's close associates, including Kiran Gujar, claimed that the departed leader was determined to reunite the party. ''He was one hundred per cent keen on merging both the factions. He had told me five days ago that the entire process was complete and the merger was imminent in the next few days,'' Gujar told PTI on Thursday at Baramati. Asked whether he had discussed the issue with Sharad Pawar, Gujar, a close confidant of Ajit Pawar for last four decades, said ''positive talks were underway with Pawar saheb, Supriya Tai (Supriya Sule) and other leaders'', and there were indications that the senior Pawar would endorse the move. ''Many positive things were on the cards, but this tragedy struck and took Ajit 'dada' away from us. Now, after his death, it has become even more imperative that both factions come together and work for the betterment of Baramati and the state,'' he said. Just days before the crash, Ajit Pawar met with NCP (SP) leader Jayant Patil to finalise organisational unity and power-sharing arrangements. Amid the merger talks, a section of party workers in the NCP has initiated a debate over the successor of Ajit Pawar. The section of NCP leadership is keen to nominate his wife Sunetra Pawar, currently a Rajya Sabha MP, for the Deputy Chief Minister post to maintain the family's political lineage. Political analysts suggest that a reunited NCP would fundamentally shift the balance of power within both the ruling Mahayuti alliance and the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi. 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. 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. The departed leader was confident that a merger will eventually materialise, and importantly, with the consent of his uncle, Sharad Pawar, the sources said. For now, the February 7 local polls will serve as a ''coordinated tribute'' to the late leader, with both factions fighting side-by-side under the clock symbol as a prelude to the possible reunification scheduled after the results on February 9. Discussions about the wife of Ajit Pawar being included in the cabinet have met with sharp criticism from the opposition, with Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut terming it as ''inhuman''. ''The woman has lost her husband; her eyes are still welling with tears. To talk of leadership and cabinet berths now shows zero humanity,'' he said.

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