‘Things will become clear with time’: Sunetra Pawar amid NCP merger speculation

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister and NCP president Sunetra Pawar on Wednesday declined to give a direct response on the speculation of a merger with the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), saying that the matter will become clear in due course.

According to news agency PTI, Pawar was holding a press conference to announce programmes marking the 191st birth anniversary of tribal freedom fighter Birsa Munda on November 15.

As she opened the forum for questions, a reporter posed a question regarding the NCP's merger speculation. In response she said, “I know you people are more interested in the other issue (merger speculation). However, I would like to tell you that things will become clear with time.”

The NCP chief’s remarks came days after senior party leaders met Union home minister Amit Shah in Delhi. Sunetra and her son, MP Parth Pawar, were not part of the meeting. NCP leaders, including Parth, have also met NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar, but maintained that they had only enquired about his health and “did not discuss anything political”.

NCP merger on cards?

Reports of a possibility on the NCP reuniting have being doing rounds for some time now. The speculation gained steam last week after senior NCP leader Sunil Tatkare indicated that late deputy CM Ajit Pawar was also in favour of merging the two factions.

“Discussions on the merger of the two NCP factions had indeed taken place. Ajit Dada had briefed me, sharing details of the formula agreed upon for the reunification. Had he been alive, the merger of the two factions would have been completed on February 12,” Tatkare told reporters outside his home in Sutarwadi, Raigad, on Friday.

Tatkare claimed that Ajit Pawar's death in a plane crash on January 28 stalled the talks.

Fadnavis leaves merger call on Sunetra, Sharad Pawar

Meanwhile, Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis on Tuesday said that only Sharad Pawar and Sunetra Pawar, who head the rival NCP factions, could clarify whether their parties would reunite.

“If they (Sharad Pawar and Sunetra Pawar) decide to merge (their parties), they will come and tell us, because the merger cannot happen without us. Neither of them has told us anything yet,” he said.

Sunetra Pawar assumed the deputy CM's role following her husband's death and her party is part of the ruling coalition, also comprising Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena and the BJP.