MUMBAI: While the proposed merger of the two Nationalist Congress Party factions has gathered momentum, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister and NCP chief Sunetra Pawar remains reluctant to surrender control of the party founded by her late husband Ajit Pawar. At the centre of the political drama is Sharad Pawar, who is keen to reunite the party he founded in 1999.
Highly placed sources said the BJP wants to secure the support of Sharad Pawar and his nine Lok Sabha MPs to strengthen its position in Parliament and weaken the Congress-led Opposition. A video of NCP working president Praful Patel’s interaction with Sharad Pawar at hospital, indicating they would meet after Tuesday, fuelled speculation.
However, Sunetra Pawar and her son Parth are against any merger. At a recent meeting of senior NCP leaders with Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Delhi, the BJP urged them to expedite the merger. Sunetra Pawar’s exclusion from the meet suggested BJP could explore its plan directly with NCP leaders. Signs of a shift in NCP’s position have since emerged. NCP Maharashtra chief Sunil Tatkare recently acknowledged talks took place and the matter was discussed when Ajit Pawar was alive.
Concerned about losing control of the party, Sunetra and Parth Pawar have questioned if Sharad Pawar, given his secular ideology, would be comfortable working under Modi and Shah. However, sources said Sharad Pawar is keeping his options open.
One of his priorities is to secure a prominent role for his daughter, Supriya Sule. He is also confident of winning the legal battle over the NCP. An NCP (SP) leader offered a different perspective: “He is a politician whose decisions cannot be considered final until the last moment... If the BJP believes it can rely on the political calculations of an 86-year-old leader at such a crucial and uncertain juncture, good luck to them.”
