NCP merger talks gather pace: Sharad Pawar as president, Sunetra Pawar as working president proposed

Talk of a possible merger of the two Nationalist Congress Party factions in Maharashtra politics has reached a key stage. Meetings and discussions are under way between leaders on both sides. Early thinking is focused on the structure of a united party, who should lead it, and who should get which responsibility if it joins the government.

One proposal under discussion is that, after a merger, Sharad Pawar be made national president and Deputy Chief Minister Sunetra Pawar national working president. Some leaders in both factions feel the party could do very well in elections fought under their leadership. Some leaders of the Ajit Pawar faction are said to hold a different view. They want Sharad Pawar to act as the party's chief guide while the post of national president stays with Sunetra Pawar.

A suggestion has also been made to form a core committee of leaders from both factions to run the party. The thinking behind it is that important decisions would be taken, and the organisation's functioning controlled, through this committee. Sunetra Pawar has not yet approved this distribution of posts. On Wednesday she said, "You will come to know of things as the time comes." With this statement she kept the door to talks open. She has not clearly ruled out a merger either.

Ministerial posts are also being discussed. Efforts are reportedly under way to build consensus between the two factions on making MP Supriya Sule a Union minister. Sources say some Ajit Pawar faction leaders have put forward the position that if the party's leadership goes to Sharad Pawar, the Ajit Pawar faction should also get a Union minister's post. Along with Sule's possible berth, the question of how large a share the Ajit Pawar faction gets at the Centre will therefore also matter.

A proposal to induct the Sharad Pawar faction's Jayant Patil and Jitendra Awhad into the state cabinet is also under discussion. Both factions are said likely to agree on these two names. But this would need the approval of senior BJP leaders and Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. In other words, even if consensus is reached within the party, the actual distribution of ministerial posts will also depend on the BJP's stand.

The biggest question in the merger process is whether the united NCP should join power with the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance. Sharad Pawar has not yet given a final decision on this. This political decision could therefore prove more decisive than the distribution of leadership and posts.

Praful Patel, a senior leader of the Ajit Pawar faction and an MP, has already spoken to Sharad Pawar. MP Parth Pawar has also met Sharad Pawar twice recently. The possibility of a merger is said to have been discussed at these meetings. Even so, no final resolution has emerged on who will hold the party's top leadership or what stand to take on going with the BJP.

According to available information, the Sharad Pawar faction has not two but four different views on whether to merge and join the government. One view is that of senior MLAs, who lean towards merging the two NCPs and going into government. Most senior MLAs are said to favour this option.

On the other side, MLA Rohit Pawar is said to be sharply opposed to merging and going with the BJP. He appears to be taking a hard line against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and the Mahayuti, and appears to be isolated in the party on this issue. It is estimated that 8 to 9 of the Sharad Pawar faction's 10 MLAs favour a merger and joining power with the BJP.

A third option, favoured by some MLAs, is to join the government as a separate group instead of merging fully with the NCP. They want to be part of the government while keeping the party's separate identity. Four views are being mentioned, but the available information does not make clear the stand of the fourth group or the names of its leaders. The full picture of these differences has therefore not yet emerged.

MLA Rohit Patil's stand is also important in this debate. He is said to be against joining the government, but he is also reported to have said that he would accept whatever final decision the party takes on the merger. In contrast to Rohit Pawar's open opposition, Rohit Patil has left the final decision to the party.

Working president Supriya Sule has not yet declared any decision. She is also said not to have spoken to MLAs about the merger. She is in Delhi for a parliamentary committee meeting, while Sharad Pawar is in Mumbai. In political circles there is curiosity over whether she will meet BJP leaders while in Delhi. Her stand could be important in the coming days.

Amid the merger talk, two meetings of NCP state president and MP Sunil Tatkare drew particular attention. On November 10 he met Deputy Chief Minister Sunetra Pawar for about an hour and a half. On November 11, at 12.30 pm, he met Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis at Varsha residence.

On November 12, Tatkare clarified the meeting. He said the call on the Chief Minister was to convey Diwali greetings and that there was no reason for political discussion at the time. He also said the state is facing drought-like conditions and that work is under way under the leadership of the Chief Minister and both Deputy Chief Ministers. A courtesy call was therefore necessary.

On the whole, no final consensus has yet been reached on any of the four fronts: leadership, distribution of posts, ministerial berths and the decision to go with the BJP. The formulas and names for ministerial posts now emerging are part of early discussions and do not indicate a final decision.