Ajit Pawar Was Keen On Merging NCP Factions Before Death, Says Aide

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar was actively pursuing a reunion of the two rival factions of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), with the process nearly complete and a formal merger expected within days, a close associate of the late leader has said, according to PTI.

Kiran Gujar, who has been associated with Ajit Pawar since before his entry into politics in the mid-1980s, said Pawar had spoken to him about the impending merger just five days before Wednesday’s fatal plane crash, PTI reported on Thursday.

“He was hundred per cent keen on merging both the factions. He had told me five days ago that the entire process was complete and the merger was imminent in the next few days,” Gujar told PTI.

According to PTI, Pawar had also publicly signalled his intent during the recent civic elections, when the two NCP factions contested as allies. Ajit Pawar had told select journalists at the time that he wanted to merge his party with the NCP (Sharad Pawar faction) while his uncle Sharad Pawar was in good health.

The alliance between the two factions was first tested in the January 15 civic elections in Pune and Pimpri Chinchwad, which they fought together. Following that exercise, they decided to continue the tie-up for the Zilla Parishad elections scheduled for next month as well, PTI reported.

Gujar said Ajit Pawar had not only planned the merger but had also prepared a roadmap for the future of a united NCP. Asked whether discussions had taken place with Sharad Pawar, Gujar said, “positive talks were underway with Pawar saheb, Supriya Tai (Supriya Sule) and other leaders”, adding that there were indications the senior Pawar would back the move.

“Many positive things were on the cards, but this tragedy struck and took Ajit ‘dada’ (elder brother, as he was popularly known) away from us. Now, after his death, it has become even more imperative that both factions come together and work for the betterment of Baramati and the state,” Gujar said, according to PTI.

Gujar, who has been associated with the Pawar family for more than four decades, remained with Ajit Pawar through different phases of his political career and was regarded as a close confidant.

Reflecting on Pawar’s early political journey, Gujar recalled that after Ajit Pawar won the election to the Chhatrapati Cooperative Sugar Mill in 1981, he was encouraged to enter active politics. “Initially, he was reluctant and wanted to focus on the family and farming. However, after Pawar saheb (Sharad Pawar) became chief minister in the late 1980s, there was a need for young leadership in Baramati, and dada fulfilled that role,” he said.

“The development (of the area) will continue, but a leader like Ajit dada will not emerge again,” Gujar added.

According to PTI, the remarks underline the political uncertainty facing the NCP following Ajit Pawar’s death, even as calls grow within the party for the two factions to come together in line with what his associates describe as his final political objective.

(With inputs from PTI)