Supriya Sule rules out NCP merger talks, says ‘no one has approached me’

Amid speculation over a possible reunification of the two NCP factions and a series of meetings between leaders from both sides, NCP (SP) national working president Supriya Sule on Thursday categorically ruled out any ongoing merger talks, saying the issue had ended for her with the death of then NCP president and Maharashtra deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar in a plane crash in Baramati on January 28.

Sule said she had neither received any merger proposal nor been approached by anyone on the matter.

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Sule says Ajit Pawar's death changed everything

She acknowledged that discussions on reunification had taken place when Ajit Pawar was alive. Still, she said his sudden demise and subsequent developments had brought the matter to an end from her side.

Her remarks came shortly after Maharashtra NCP president Sunil Tatkare said he saw no substance in the speculation surrounding merger talks between the two factions.

Sule, who was in New Delhi, chose to break her silence on the speculation nearly two weeks after it gained momentum following a meeting between six senior NCP leaders and Union home minister Amit Shah on November 1.

The leaders were learnt to have indicated their support for a merger between the rival NCP factions, triggering fresh speculation about a possible reunification.

“I have not received any proposal for a merger, so I do not know which proposal you are referring to. No one has approached me or spoken to me about it,” Sule chose to begin with in response to questions related to ongoing merger talks.

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'From my side, the matter ended'

When asked about several NCP leaders meeting NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar over the past week, Sule said she could speak only about her own experience.

“When my brother (Ajit Pawar) was alive, we held discussions about the merger of the two parties. He discussed the matter with all of us. A video of one such meeting, held at Govindbaug on January 17, is already in the public domain. The entire world knew what we were planning and the direction in which things were moving. However, my brother's sudden demise changed everything. From my side, the matter ended there.”

For the unversed, Ajit Pawar, nephew of Sharad Pawar, had split the NCP in July 2023 and subsequently secured the party's original name and election symbol after joining the ruling Mahayuti alliance in Maharashtra. Sharad Pawar was left leading the rival faction, which was allotted the name Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar). However, less than three years after the split, the two factions began exploring the possibility of reunification, with Ajit Pawar keen to bring the parties together by February 12. The process, however, was cut short by his death in a plane crash

She further refused to comment on the meeting between senior NCP leaders and the Union home minister, terming it an internal matter.

Tatkare was the first to publicly acknowledge on November 6 that merger discussions had taken place and that the two factions would have reunited on February 12 had Ajit Pawar been alive.

He was also part of the delegation that met Shah in New Delhi earlier this month, along with national working president Praful Patel and four other senior leaders. The meeting fuelled speculation about a possible merger. On Tuesday, Tatkare met Sunetra Pawar in Baramati, followed by a meeting with Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis at his official residence, Varsha, on Wednesday.