Sunetra Pawar: There has been growing speculation regarding the reunification of Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and the Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar), which has led to renewed political talks in Maharashtra.
Sunetra Pawar Reportedly Opposes the Merger.
Sunetra Pawar, who currently leads the NCP, is reportedly not in favour of a merger with Sharad Pawar’s faction. Reports claim that she and her son, Rajya Sabha MP Parth Pawar, do not want Sharad Pawar and Supriya Sule to regain control of the party if a reunion takes place. Sources also suggest that if a merger eventually becomes unavoidable, Sunetra Pawar may seek to continue as both the party president and Deputy Chief Minister.
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Why is the BJP being associated with the talk of a merger?
BJP is trying hard to find a way to increase the strength of NDA in parliament. The merged NCP can help them during the voting process on major laws like amendments to the constitution regarding women’s reservation and delimitation. Some political reports say that there have been some attempts to bring them together in the Union Cabinet so as to settle their political differences. But no such confirmation has been made by BJP or any faction of the NCP.
High-Level Political Meetings Pose Queries
There were rumors about a merger after a series of political meetings of high-ranking political leaders. Parth Pawar was rumored to have met the Chief Minister of Maharashtra, Devendra Fadnavis. Similarly, leaders of the two factions of NCP were rumored to be having different meetings with senior leaders of the NDA.
Sharad Pawar’s Camp Rejoinders
Leader of the NCP (SP), Supriya Sule, denied the rumors of any merger talks and argued that although such talks used to happen when Ajit Pawar was alive, nothing of this sort is going on right now. Sunil Tatkare, who heads NCP Maharashtra, has said that there are no merger talks at the moment.
Leadership Remains the Biggest Challenge
Political observers believe that leadership and power-sharing remain the biggest hurdles if any merger proposal moves forward. Questions over who would lead the united party and how key positions would be distributed are reportedly at the centre of the discussions.
