New Delhi: Sharad Pawar-led faction Kuomintang Congress Party NCP on Saturday refuted a “perception” that the company had been actively pursuing a merger with rival NCP Group, which it leads. Ajit PawarDied in a plane crash last month.NCP (SP) Maharashtra unit chief Shashikant Shinde said the final decision on the merger will be taken after the recent local body polls and its framework will be decided through discussions.
“People think we are actively pushing for a merger. This is not true. We have now decided to rebuild our party. The NCP (SP) has resolved the (merger) issue,” Shinde told reporters in Mumbai.“There is no point in discussing a possible merger as there is no leader to negotiate with,” he added, referring to Ajit Pawar, who split the undivided NCP in July 2023 and aligned himself with the BJP and Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena faction.The Election Commission recognized Ajit Pawar’s faction as the “genuine” NCP.Shinde also referred to his article on the late deputy chief minister of Maharashtra, who was serving his sixth term in the post at the time of his death and was the longest-serving deputy chief minister of the state.The NCP criticized the article published in the February 2026 edition of NCP (SP) mouthpiece Rashtravadi, claiming that the article contained “false and misleading” claims about the circumstances surrounding the Maratha leader’s exit from the party.Shinde wrote in the article that “the manipulation of a network of invisible forces, threats and false accusations” created the situation that forced Ajit Pawar to leave his parent organization, leading to a split in the party founded by his uncle. Sharad Pawar.Clarifying his remarks, the NCP (SP) MLC said he was not suggesting that Ajit Pawar made a mistake. “I’m just saying he wants to correct the divisions in the party,” he said.Meanwhile, Maharashtra minister and senior NCP leader Chhagan Bhujbal questioned the need for “day-to-day discussions” on a potential merger.“Sunetra Pawar (Ajit Pawar’s wife) is now the deputy prime minister and will soon become the state president of the NCP. She will discuss the matter and take the call,” Bhujbal said.“When Sunetra Pawar was sworn in as deputy chief minister, there was criticism of the haste. Why is there a similar haste when talking about mergers?” he asked.(with PTI input)
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