Tatkare, who is among the top NCP leaders and Ajit Pawar’s confidant, reiterated that his party had decided to become a part of the NDA and will remain in the NDA.
Mumbai: NCP leader Sunil Tatkare on Thursday ruled out reunion with Sharad Pawar. Clarifying that there is no formal proposal for the reunion, he said the Ajit Pawar-led party is part of the NDA and whoever wants to join them would be welcome.
The speculations over merger of two NCP factions have been going on in the state politics for over a month. Sharad Pawar himself had claimed earlier this month that he will not be surprised if the two factions come together in the future as they all have the same ideology.
However, Tatkare said no such talks are on. “We do not have any proposal for the merger. There has been no discussion on it,” he said.
Tatkare, who is among the top NCP leaders and Ajit Pawar’s confidant, reiterated that his party had decided to become a part of the NDA and will remain in the NDA. He added that his party’s further political journey will happen under the “strong leadership” of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union home minister Amit Shah and there will be no change in this stand.
“There is no point talking about any merger as there is no such official proposal before us. As there is no proposal, there is no question of whether we are positive about it or oppose it. We are part of the NDA and we will remain so. Those who accept this stand with complete sincerity, are welcome in our party,” Tatkare said.
According to some reports, two senior leaders from the Ajit Pawar-led party are against the merger as they do not want two power centers. They are also wary of Supriya Sule’s increased stocks in Delhi if the merger happens.
However, Tatkare denied that he or Praful Patel opposed it. “When there is no such proposal for me or Praful Patel to oppose,” he said.
The NCP leader further added that the 2023 split in the party happened due to differences over whether to join hands with BJP. “The discussions on the alliance with the BJP were taking place in the NCP since 2014. On several occasions, we almost sealed the alliance talks, but things did not work out. Now we have decided to remain with the BJP. Our stand to remain with the BJP and merger are two contradictory issues,” he said.
The NCP split in 2023 after Ajit Pawar broke away with a majority of MLAs to join the BJP-Shiv Sena government, becoming Deputy Chief Minister. This led to a bitter battle over the party’s name and symbol, with the Election Commission eventually recognizing Ajit Pawar’s faction as the official NCP.
