Recent meetings and statements have revived speculation about a merger between the two NCP factions, but neither side has confirmed a deal.
NCP leaders have given conflicting signals: Sunil Tatkare said a merger had been planned before Ajit Pawar’s death, then said no talks are underway.
A merger would reopen questions about leadership and party control for Sharad Pawar, Supriya Sule, Sunetra Pawar and Parth Pawar.
The renewed talk of a Nationalist Congress Party reunion has raised a question larger than whether the two factions will merge: who would lead a unified party, and where would it sit in Maharashtra’s ruling coalition?
The possibility has drawn attention after meetings involving Sharad Pawar, his grandnephew Parth Pawar and senior NCP leader Praful Patel, as well as a Delhi meeting between NCP leaders and Union Home Minister Amit Shah. But a merger has not been announced, and the factions’ public statements remain mixed.
Merger Talk Is Back, But No Deal Is Confirmed
A group of senior leaders from the Sunetra Pawar-led NCP met Shah in Delhi on November 2. The Indian Express, citing sources, reported that they discussed bringing the two NCP factions together and aligning the reunited party with the BJP-led NDA. Sunetra and Parth were not part of that delegation. The NCP said the meeting had been planned in advance and rejected claims that they had been sidelined.
The speculation intensified after Sunil Tatkare said on November 6 that a merger would have been completed on February 12 had Ajit Pawar been alive. Days later, however, he said there was no current proposal or discussion. NCP (SP) state president Shashikant Shinde has also said there is no present appetite for a merger.
Sunetra Pawar, who leads the NCP, has declined to clarify her position. Asked about a possible reunion on Wednesday, she told reporters in Baramati: “You will come to understand things when the time comes.” Party spokesperson Umesh Patil has said no merger talks are underway.
Sharad Pawar And Supriya Sule Could Gain Stature
Sharad Pawar founded the NCP in 1999, but the Election Commission recognised Ajit Pawar’s faction as the NCP in 2024 and allotted it the party’s name and clock symbol. Sharad Pawar’s group was given the name Nationalist Congress Party–Sharadchandra Pawar. He challenged the Election Commission’s decision in the Supreme Court.
His faction has remained electorally relevant: it won eight of Maharashtra’s 48 Lok Sabha seats in 2024. Supriya Sule, its national working president, retained Baramati by defeating Sunetra Pawar by 1,58,333 votes. A merger could raise Sule’s profile further, but neither faction has disclosed how leadership or organisational control would be divided. Sunetra and Parth have positions to protect.
Ajit Pawar died in a plane crash on January 28. Sunetra subsequently became Maharashtra’s deputy chief minister and the NCP’s national president. Their son Parth Pawar is a Rajya Sabha MP and a party general secretary. Those roles give the mother-and-son leadership a formal base within the faction.
A merger would put the distribution of party posts, influence over legislators and control of the organisation up for negotiation. Reports of unease among senior NCP leaders over Parth’s growing influence have added to the questions about who speaks for the faction. The party, however, has rejected claims of an internal rift.
Sunetra’s political position is also distinct from the one she held before Ajit Pawar’s death. She has taken charge of the party and joined the state government as deputy chief minister. The NCP has not said whether those roles—or Parth’s—would be retained under any reunification plan.
The BJP’s Coalition Arithmetic
The alliance question is central because the Ajit Pawar-led NCP is part of the Mahayuti government, while the NCP (SP) remains with the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi and INDIA bloc. If the NCP (SP) joined the NDA after a merger, it would change both Maharashtra’s coalition balance and the opposition’s parliamentary strength. Its eight Lok Sabha seats give the question national significance, though no agreement to move the faction into the NDA has been confirmed.
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has said the two factions must decide for themselves, but added that the BJP would expect to be consulted if merger discussions were taking place.
For now, the public record points to earlier negotiations, renewed political contact and competing statements—not a settled merger. The unresolved issues are who would control the unified party, what roles the Pawar family members would hold, and whether a reunited NCP would remain in the opposition or join the NDA.
