NCP (SP) leader says discussions with Ajit Pawar ended after his death; remarks come amid renewed speculation following meetings between leaders of the two factions.
Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) leader Supriya Sule on Thursday ruled out any ongoing talks on the reunification of the two NCP factions, saying she had neither received a merger proposal nor been approached by anyone on the issue.
Speaking in New Delhi, Sule said discussions about bringing the factions together had taken place when her cousin and then Maharashtra deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar was alive. However, his death in a plane crash had changed the situation.
“When my brother was alive, we held discussions about the merger of the two parties. However, my brother’s sudden demise changed everything. From my side, the matter ended there,” she said.
Her remarks came amid renewed speculation about a possible merger, following meetings between leaders of the two factions. On November 1, six senior NCP leaders reportedly met Union Home Minister Amit Shah, fuelling talk of reunification.
Maharashtra NCP president Sunil Tatkare had earlier acknowledged that merger discussions had taken place and said the parties could have reunited on February 12 had Ajit Pawar been alive. On Thursday, however, he said there was no substance in the current speculation.
Ajit Pawar split from the undivided NCP in July 2023 and joined the ruling Mahayuti alliance, while Sharad Pawar continued to lead the rival faction. Sule declined to comment on the meeting with Shah, describing it as an internal matter.
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