NCP Reunion Announcement Mid-February, 4 Frontrunners For Chief: Sources

The two factions of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) will be reuniting and a formal announcement is expected in the second week of February - after the local body elections, sources told NDTV.

According to senior leaders from both factions, Ajit Pawar - who died in a plane crash on Wednesday - had paved the way for the merger and held several meetings with uncle Sharad Pawar in December and January. The two leaders were scheduled to formally announce the merger through a joint press conference after the local body elections.

Leaders of both factions are expected to meet next week to finalise the merger, sources added.

Sources, however, said that some leaders from the NCP (Ajit Pawar) faction do not want an immediate merger as they believe it is being used for "political gain". While those from the Sharad Pawar faction are seeking an immediate merger.

Sunetra Pawar's role is crucial in the merger process, sources added.

Sources said that apart from Sharad Pawar, there are three more frontrunners who are likely to lead the merged NCP - Ajit Pawar's wife Sunetra Pawar, Supriya Sule, and Praful Patel. However, the chorus within the NCP is seeking the appointment of Sunetra Pawar, a Rajya Sabha MP, to lead the outfit as the party president and legislative party leader. However, if this does not work out due to technical limitations or political considerations, NCP's Praful Patel may be next in line to take the lead, sources said.

Sharad Pawar founded the NCP after splitting from the Congress in 1999. His nephew, Ajit Pawar, rebelled against the party in July 2023, and his faction joined the ruling Mahayuti and formed the government. Several of Sharad Pawar's close associates, such as Praful Patel, Chhagan Bhujbal, and Dilip Walse-Patil, had also joined Ajit Pawar's camp.

Ajit Pawar and four others died on Wednesday when their aircraft crashed nearly 100 metres from the edge of a tabletop runway at Baramati airport in Pune district. The aircraft burst into flames during what officials say was a second landing attempt amid poor visibility. Apart from Pawar, those onboard the plane who died included two pilots - Sumit Kapur and Sambhavi Pathak, Pawar's personal security officer Vidip Jadhav, and a flight attendant, Pinky Mali.

Mourning his death, NCP leader Ankush Kakade recalled that Ajit Pawar wanted to merge the two factions last month as a 'gift' to uncle Sharad Pawar on his birthday (December 12), but the merger did not materialise at the time. Senior NCP (SP) leader Jayant Patil also told NDTV that Ajit Pawar had pushed for a reunion and held high-level meetings for the same on January 16 and 17.