The two factions of Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) is on the verge of reuniting, with a formal announcement expected in the second week of February, sources told NDTV.
The NCP and NCP- SP (Sharadchandra Pawar) merger was facilitated by the late Ajit Pawar, who had held several meetings with his uncle Sharad Pawar in December and January, sources told NDTV.
The two factions had planned to announce the merger through a joint press conference after the elections. With the merger, potential leaders are being discussed, including Sharad Pawar, Ajit Pawar's wife Sunetra Pawar, Supriya Sule, and Praful Patel to take the mantle of the party, sources told the channel.
Sources suggest Sunetra Pawar is the preferred choice to lead the party, but Praful Patel may be considered if technical or political issues arise. The NCP was founded by Sharad Pawar in 1999, and the party split in 2023 when Ajit Pawar joined the ruling Mahayuti government with several close associates.
However, Ajit Pawar wanted to reunite the two Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) factions last month as a 'gift' to uncle Sharad Pawar on his birthday (December 12), but the merger did not materialise at the time, NCP (SP) leader Ankush Kakade told NDTV while mourning the death of Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister. During the recent civic polls, which the two factions contested in alliance, Ajit Pawar had also told select journalists that he intended to merge his party with the NCP (SP) while his uncle Sharad Pawar (85) was in good health.
After contesting the January 15 civic elections in Pune and Pimpri Chinchwad together, the two factions decided to continue the tie-up for the next month's Zilla Parishad elections too.
Ajit Pawar (66) and four others were killed when the chartered plane carrying them crashed at the Baramati airport in Pune district on Wednesday.
ALSO READ: Ajit Pawar Was 100% Keen On Merging Two NCPs, Entire Process Was Complete: Aide
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