No merger talks: Anil Deshmukh denies rumours after Sharad-Ajit Pawar meet

Anil Deshmukh's statement comes a day after Sharad Pawar met his estranged nephew Ajit Pawar in Pune

Nationalist Congress Party (SP) leader Anil Deshmukh on Monday dismissed speculations about a merger with the NCP, following a meeting between NCP (SP) Chief Sharad Pawar and Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar.

 

The statement comes a day after Sharad Pawar met his estranged nephew Ajit Pawar in Pune. They have been seen together on multiple occasions in the recent past, triggering speculations about a possible merger.

 

However, dismissing the same, Deshmukh told reporters, "There is no discussion on both the NCPs reuniting".

 

He added that the two leaders keep meeting on different occasions on issues related to sugar and educational institutes. There has been no discussion on the two factions merging, Deshmukh said.

 

Ajit Pawar refused to respond when he was asked about the same after his meeting with Sharad Pawar on Sunday, reported The Indian Express.

 

Similarly, Sharad Pawar had last month said that his daughter and MP Supriya Sule would make a decision about the merger after consulting with the party’s MLAs and MPs.

 

Dismissing the possibility of a merger, Sule said, "If anything has to happen, it would be between Ajit Pawar and myself. But Ajit Pawar has already clarified that there is no proposal for a merger. And therefore, I too want to say the same. Everything is in the air," as quoted by The Indian Express. 

 

The NCP split

 

The split between Sharad Pawar and Ajit Pawar within the NCP occurred in July 2023, when Ajit Pawar, along with eight other NCP leaders, joined the Eknath Shinde-led Maharashtra government. Ajit Pawar was sworn in as the Deputy Chief Minister soon after.

 

Subsequently, in February 2024, the Election Commission of India recognised the Ajit Pawar-led faction as the official NCP, granting it the party name and symbol. The faction led by Sharad Pawar was designated as the Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar).