Maharashtra: Pawar Rules Out Merger Of NCP Factions

Talks of Sharad Pawar’s party merging with the NCP and joining the BJP-led government have been doing the rounds after Sharad Pawar met Prime Minister Narendra Modi a few days ago. When asked about ongoing discussions regarding the coming together of the two NCP factions, he ruled out the possibility of a merger.

It recently came to light that Parth Pawar and Praful Patel had met Sharad Pawar in Delhi a few days ago.

Pawar’s remark in Baramati came a day after Union Home Minister Amit Shah held meetings with leaders of both NCP factions in Delhi on Monday. Shah met NCP (SP) MP Supriya Sule and Maharashtra NCP president Sunil Tatkare.

Earlier, Pawar and Sule had met Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi. Following this meeting, Parth Pawar and Praful Patel had visited Sharad Pawar.

A series of meetings between NCP (SP) leaders and BJP leaders has sparked speculation that the party is contemplating merging with the NCP and joining the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance.

However, NCP (SP) MLA Rohit Pawar, who is the grandnephew of Sharad Pawar, too clarified that they would not be joining the government stating that almost all their leaders were in the mindset of fighting from the opposition.

“Sharad Pawar met Prime Minister Modi regarding issues concerning students. He will not join the NDA under any circumstances. The majority of our party’s MLAs and MPs are prepared for the struggle. We are committed to our ideology and the people; the question of joining the NDA simply does not arise,” Rohit Pawar said in Mumbai.

Meanwhile, Sharad Pawar is likely to invite Prime Minister Narendra Modi to visit the Vidya Pratishthan campus in Baramati to unveil a newly installed statue of Gautam Buddha. According to party insiders, Sharad Pawar will meet the Prime Minister again to extend a formal invitation for the unveiling ceremony, which is likely to be held on October 2 or October 16.