4 min readMumbaiFeb 4, 2026 11:46 AM IST
First published on: Feb 3, 2026 at 08:33 AM IST
As claims and counterclaims fly thick and fast over a possible merger between the two NCP factions following the death of former Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, the issue has assumed a larger political dimension, with Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar weighing in.
A day after Fadnavis dismissed the merger theory, the senior Pawar on Monday countered the CM with a strongly worded retort. “How will you (Fadnavis) know about the merger when you were not even a part of the discussions?” the NCP (SP) chief said.
While Fadnavis has long maintained that the merger is “their (NCP and NCP-SP) internal matter”, he waded into the issue on Sunday, saying Ajit would have kept him apprised of developments had there been any discussions on the matter.
The CM’s intervention in the merger issue is also being seen as a strategic move by the BJP to strongly defend its ally NCP’s decision to install Ajit’s wife, Rajya Sabha MP Sunetra Pawar, as the state’s first woman Deputy Chief Minister within days of her husband’s death.
However, sources within the BJP said Fadnavis’ statement was also the party’s way of reasserting its dominance within the ruling Mahayuti, comprising the BJP, NCP and the Shiv Sena led by Eknath Shinde. “Under the leadership of (Prime Minister) Narendra Modi and (Union Home Minister) Amit Shah, there is no forgiveness. Fadnavis’ message is an indication of tit-for-tat. The party had decided to avenge its embarrassment,” a source said, referring to the 72-hour government formed after the 2019 Assembly elections, when Fadnavis and Ajit took oath as Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister, respectively, in a quiet early morning ceremony.
Eventually, the BJP was forced to sit in the Opposition despite emerging as the single largest party, after Ajit was coaxed by Sharad Pawar to return to the then undivided NCP, which joined hands with the then undivided Shiv Sena and the Congress to form the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government led by Uddhav Thackeray.
Meanwhile, state BJP chief Ravindra Chavan maintained that the party has “not coerced anyone to join”. However, another senior BJP leader said plans had already been chalked out to ensure the party comes to power in Maharashtra on its own in 2029, in line with Shah’s call for “shat pratishat BJP (100% BJP)”. “Why would the BJP empower its allies, especially when the NCP and NCP (SP) no longer trust each other? A divided regional party suits the BJP’s plans. Why would we give them a fresh lease of life?” the leader asked.
The issue of a merger has underpinned the state’s political discourse since Ajit crossed over to the NDA in 2023, with senior leaders in both camps repeatedly saying the estranged Pawars would “reunite sooner rather than later”. However, Ajit’s sudden demise has derailed the merger talk and left leaders from both camps hurling allegations at each other.
NCP (SP) state chief Jayant Patil accused NCP leaders Praful Patel and Sunil Tatkare of “being in a hurry to take control of the party even before the mourning period (for Ajit) ended”, triggering a response from state minister Chhagan Bhujbal. “The party cannot be left in the lurch. Those who loved Ajit wanted to see Sunetra taking charge of the party and in the government,” Bhujbal said.
Tatkare, however, denied having any knowledge of merger talks. “Ajitdada would have told me if there were any talks. The decision to be part of the BJP-led NDA was taken collectively by the NCP. We have the people’s mandate,” he said.