On foundation day, Ajit Pawar-led NCP dismisses reunion talk; Supriya Sule sidesteps issue

Maharashtra Deputy CM Ajit Pawar

Celebrating the 26th foundation day of the party, the Ajit Pawar-led NCP on Tuesday said there was no proposal of reunion with the rival faction, while NCP (SP) MP Supriya Sule too avoided making any statement despite the recent buzz over the issue.

The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), co-founded by Sharad Pawar 26 years ago, split in 2023 when his nephew Ajit Pawar walked away to join the BJP-Shiv Sena government in Maharashtra.

Both the factions marked the foundation day in Pune by holding separate events.

Sunil Tatkare, state NCP chief, said to join the NDA was a collective decision for the "welfare of the people", and not a decision of Ajit Pawar -- currently Maharashtra deputy chief minister -- alone.

"...It was not a personal decision. It was a collective decision to join the NDA under Ajit Pawar's leadership. I have clarified often that from 2014 onwards, there were several occasions when the decision to join the (BJP-led) alliance was taken by the (then undivided) party. We were almost on the verge of joining the NDA, but at the last moment, the decision was changed," he said.

In 2023, the party, under the leadership of Ajit Pawar, decided to join the ruling alliance for the welfare of the people, he added.

"We joined the NDA without compromising on our secular ideology and the ideology of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, Mahatma Phule, Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar and Shahu Maharaj," Tatkare said.

The party's "journey" will continue under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and senior BJP leader Amit Shah, he added.

"There is no such proposal," Tatkare told reporters when asked about speculation that the two factions could come together.

Ajit Pawar himself made no definitive statement about the possibility of reuniting with NCP (Sharad Pawar), only saying that such decisions are taken by the top leadership, and not by party workers or junior leaders.

He also justified his decision to join hands with the BJP and become part of the state government, saying "we are no saints" to be content with being in the opposition and protesting. His party wanted to work for the people, he added.

At the foundation day function of the NCP (Sharad Pawar) elsewhere in Pune, party MP Supriya Sule avoided a direct reply to a question about reunion.

Asked about a section of the NCP (SP) wanting to reunite with Ajit Pawar's party, and her father Sharad Pawar saying all decisions regarding the party will be taken by her, Sule said, "I have had no time to discuss the party affairs with party leaders or meet even my family for the last 15 days." Sule recently led a multi-party delegation and travelled to a few foreign countries to convey India's stand following Operation Sindoor.

"Some people went with other ideologies, and this split widened. I do not want to talk about it today. But those who remained loyal to the party, it was because of our party's ideology," Sharad Pawar said at his party's event.

"Do not dwell on who has left or who has joined. If we stay united and remain committed to the common people, we will not face any problems," the veteran politician said.