A viral video showing senior NCP leader Praful Patel meeting NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar at a hospital in Mumbai and discussing a possible meeting after November 10, coupled with a remark by ruling NCP's Maharashtra unit president Sunil Tatkare, has revived speculation about a merger of the two factions.
Tatkare said the merger of the two Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) factions would have taken place in February this year had Ajit Pawar been alive.
The ruling NCP is currently headed by Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Sunetra Pawar, while the NCP (SP), which is part of the Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance, is led by Sharad Pawar.
Speaking to reporters, Tatkare said the merger of the two NCP factions would have been formalised on February 12 had Ajit Pawar been alive.
Ajit Pawar, who was the state's deputy chief minister and NCP president, died in a plane crash on January 28 in Baramati, his hometown in Pune district. Following his death, his wife Sunetra Pawar took over as NCP president and also became deputy chief minister.
Tatkare said, "Ajitdada had told me about the merger discussions and how they would be finalised."
His remarks come amid a viral video showing Praful Patel meeting Sharad Pawar at Breach Candy Hospital in Mumbai, where the latter is undergoing treatment, and discussing a possible meeting after November 10.
Sharad Pawar, 85, is being treated at the hospital for a chest infection. Patel met the veteran leader on Thursday night.
The meeting comes against the backdrop of senior NCP leaders meeting Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Delhi without their party chief, Sunetra Pawar, or her sons Parth and Jay.
The meeting with Shah took place amid reports that the NCP leadership was unhappy with Parth Pawar's growing influence in the party.
In the video of Patel's conversation with Pawar at the hospital, the NCP (SP) chief is heard telling the NCP working president something, to which Patel responds that he will be in Mumbai after November 10 and that they could sit together and discuss the matter. Pawar agrees.
Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Patel said Pawar had discussed national and state politics with him during the hospital visit and that their conversation had not concerned internal NCP matters.
Asked about Prime Minister Narendra Modi's phone call to Pawar, Patel said the two leaders shared cordial and respectful relations, adding that Modi must have called to enquire about Pawar's health.
Besides Patel, several political leaders and prominent personalities, including industrialist Gautam Adani, Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut, have visited Sharad Pawar to enquire about his health.
According to sources, Ajit Pawar viewed a possible merger of the two NCP factions as part of a long-term strategy, particularly with the 2029 elections and the party's future relevance in mind.
The late leader was confident that a merger would eventually materialise, and importantly, with the consent of his uncle, Sharad Pawar, the sources said.
In September, however, Sharad Pawar told party workers that the NCP (SP) would not merge with any outfit for the sake of power. "We are not going anywhere. If you want, join us. We have decided to strengthen our organisation ," he had said.
(With inputs from PTI)