NCP leaders differ over whether merger was planned

Leaders of rival Nationalist Congress Party factions gave conflicting accounts of whether a reunion had been arranged before Ajit Pawar died, as Sunil Tatkare reiterated that a merger decision would have been taken on February 12 if Ajit Pawar had been alive. Others said no formal proposal or talks existed, while Yugendra Pawar said meetings had taken place and arrangements were finalised. The accounts do not establish whether a merger plan had been agreed.

Tatkare, Maharashtra president of the Ajit Pawar-led NCP, said his earlier statement stood and that the issue had been discussed in a particular context. He said a decision would have been taken on February 12, without specifying a year in the remarks reported. Ajit Pawar, then deputy chief minister and NCP president, died in an air crash on January 28. Tatkare said the merger issue was now over.

Yugendra Pawar, an NCP SP youth leader, offered a more detailed account, saying Ajit Pawar had held a meeting and another meeting took place at Govind Bagh. He said arrangements were finalised and Ajit Pawar was expected to announce a merger around February 12, 2026, but his death put the matter on hold. That account was not...