Ajit Pawar Held 14 Meetings With Sharad Pawar Faction To Discuss Possible NCP Merger: Sources

Efforts to reunite the two factions of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) were already at an advanced stage before the death of Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, sources have told CNN-News18. According to sources familiar with the process, Ajit Pawar had held 14 meetings over several weeks with senior party leaders, including Jayant Patil, Supriya Sule, and Amol Kolhe, to explore the possibility of bringing the divided NCP back together. Senior BJP leaders were also kept informed of these developments and later shared details of the meetings, sources said.

Those involved in the discussions said a strategic decision was taken to announce the merger a day after the Zilla Parishad election results. In anticipation of this move, candidates were advised to contest the elections on the ‘clock’ symbol instead of the ‘trumpet’, reflecting a conscious shift aligned with the reunification plan.

Sources said that after the final meeting with key leaders, Ajit Pawar had met NCP founder Sharad Pawar to brief him on the consensus that had emerged. During this interaction, Sharad Pawar reportedly gave his approval to reunite both factions, effectively clearing the path for a formal merger.