Ankush Kakade says Tatkare and Patel first denied NCP merger talks, then made a U-turn

Talk of a merger of the two factions of the Nationalist Congress Party has stirred political circles. Sunil Tatkare, state president of the Ajit Pawar faction, was the first to raise the subject of a merger, which heated up politics around the two NCP parties. Both factions have now made it clear that there will be no merger. Meanwhile, Sharad Pawar faction leader Ankush Kakade has made a significant statement on the matter.

Kakade said, "Some NCP leaders are in touch with Sharad Pawar saheb, and some people are going to Silver Oak to meet him. MLAs of Ajit Pawar's NCP are also going to meet Pawar saheb. It could be that they meet him to extend Diwali greetings and to ask after his health. But some time ago, Praful Patel and Sunil Tatkare had taken a rigid stand that no merger talks had taken place at all. They were saying there had been no discussion on a merger. Now they themselves have taken a 90-degree U-turn. I cannot say what is in their minds, on their tongues and in their bellies."

On the other side, Sunil Mane, general secretary of the Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar), had also said earlier that these discussions had been put to rest. According to him, after the death of Ajit Pawar, the issue of merging the two NCP parties has been closed completely. Mane had said that his leader Pawar saheb, state president Shashikant Shinde and Rohit Pawar had also said that the merger issue was over for them.

Meanwhile, it has emerged that MLAs of the Ajit Pawar faction have sought time to meet Sharad Pawar. A few days ago, Ajit Pawar faction leaders Parth Pawar, Praful Patel and Chhagan Bhujbal had met Sharad Pawar. With all the MLAs now seeking time, the question being asked is what is going on in the NCP camp.