Nationalist Congress Party-Sharadchandra Pawar (NCP-SP) has ended attempts to merge with the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) led by Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Sunetra Pawar, saying it will focus on its role as a more effective opposition party.
“The merger issue has been closed from our side. There will be no further talks on the merger. We will now focus on strengthening the NCP-SP,” Maharashtra party president Shashikant Shinde said on Wednesday.
People familiar with the matter said the issue was discussed at a party meeting called by NCP founder Sharad Pawar to discuss the party’s plans. They added that the issue of merger talks was raised at the meeting.
NCP – SP working president Supriya Sule and former Maharashtra state president Jayant Patil have made it clear that the party has moved ahead and the merger talks are over. Party MPs, former legislators and candidates, who lost the 2024 Maharashtra Assembly elections, were among those who attended the meeting on Wednesday.
NCP leaders Praful Patel and Sunil Tatkare met Sharad Pawar on May 12, sparking fresh speculation about a merger.
Several lawmakers who attended Wednesday’s meeting said they needed to know the status of the merger to understand what position they should take.
Merger talks ended after NCP leader Ajit Pawar was killed in a plane crash in January. The NCP split in 2023 when Ajit Pawar rebelled against his uncle Sharad Pawar.
NCP – SP faction acknowledged merger talks for the first time after Ajit Pawar’s death and said his unfinished business must be completed. The NCP denied holding such talks, but later admitted that they were underway and that Sunetra Pawar would take a final decision. Since then, senior NCP leaders have opposed the merger.
