Sources say Sunetra Pawar not ready for NCP merger, fears losing control of party

Talk of a merger of the Nationalist Congress Party has been going on in political circles for about a week. Sunil Tatkare, state president of the Ajit Dada faction, had fuelled the issue, after which the discussion moved further. It is now reported that MLAs of the Ajit Dada faction are to meet Sharad Pawar today, which has intensified the talk.

Meanwhile, a significant development has emerged. Sources said that Sunetra Pawar, the state's Deputy Chief Minister and national president of the NCP, is herself not ready for the merger. According to the sources, she does not want to lose her control over the party, and this is why the merger is stalled.

The party's command had come to Sunetra Pawar after the death of Ajit Pawar. It is now being said that Sharad Pawar has become active to bring the party back under his control and keep it united.

It has been said that the BJP wants to strengthen its position in Parliament and weaken the Opposition. For this it needs the support of Sharad Pawar and his Lok Sabha MPs. Praful Patel, a leader of the Ajit Dada faction, visited Sharad Pawar at the hospital and spoke to him for an hour and a half. Pawar and Patel are to meet again, so there is much speculation in political circles.

Sources say Sunetra Pawar and her son Parth Pawar are against the merger. A meeting of Union Home Minister Amit Shah and senior NCP leaders was held in Delhi. It is said that in it the BJP urged the NCP leaders to move the merger process forward faster. Sunetra Pawar was kept away from this meeting. This clearly indicates that the BJP will put forward the NCP's senior leaders themselves to advance its plan. After this meeting, the attitude of NCP leaders has changed.

Sunetra Pawar and Parth Pawar are worried that if the merger happens, their control over the party will go. They have therefore raised the question of whether Sharad Pawar will be ready to give up his secular ideology and work under the leadership of Modi and Shah. Sharad Pawar has kept his options open.

It has also been said that Sharad Pawar wants to give Supriya Sule an important responsibility and establish her. The NCP's legal battle is also under way, and he is confident of winning it.

A leader of the Sharad Pawar faction reacted to these developments. The leader said Pawar is a politician whose decision is not considered final until the last moment. The leader said that if the BJP still trusts Sharad Pawar's political arithmetic on such an important matter, then good luck to it.