Ajit Pawar Plane Crash: NCP factions were set to announce a formal merger on 8 February, says report

Ajit Pawar Plane Crash: A formal announcement of the reunification of the two factions of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) was scheduled to be announced on 8 February, days before Maharashtra deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar died in a plane crash.

The merger talks were in an advanced stage, and the leaders from both sides were preparing for a formal announcement following the zilla parishad election results, a report in the Indian Express said.

After contesting the 15 January civic elections in Pune and Pimpri Chichwad together, the two factions decided to continue the tie-up for the next month's Zilla Parishad elections on 5 February too. Both factions had agreed to contest under Ajit Pawar’s faction's ‘clock’ symbol.

In fact, Ajit Pawar was on his way to Baramati, the NCP stronghold, to attend a rally for the Zilla Parishad elections when his chartered plane crashed, leaving all five on board, including him, dead.

The NCP suffered a split in 2023 when Ajit Pawar, along with many senior leaders, broke away from the party led by his uncle, veteran politician Sharad Pawar, and joined the BJP-Shiv Sena coalition in Maharashtra.

Kiran Gujar, who has been associated with Ajit Pawar since before his entry into politics in the mid-1980s, told PTI that Ajit Pawar had confided in him about this only five days before Wednesday's fatal plane crash.

"He was hundred per cent keen on merging both the factions. He had told me five days ago that the entire process was complete and the merger was imminent in the next few days," Gujar said.

During the recent civic polls, which the two factions contested in alliance, Ajit Pawar had also told select journalists that he intended to merge his party with the NCP (SP) while his uncle Sharad Pawar was in good health.

Gujar said that Ajit had a roadmap ready for the merger and future course of the united NCP.

Asked whether he had discussed the issue with Sharad Pawar, Gujar said "positive talks were underway with Pawar saheb, Supriya Tai (Supriya Sule) and other leaders", and there were indications that the senior Pawar would endorse the move.

"Many positive things were on the cards, but this tragedy struck and took Ajit `dada' (elder brother, as he was popularly known) away from us. Now, after his death, it has become even more imperative that both factions come together and work for the betterment of Baramati and the state," he said.

The Indian Express report, quoting sources, said that the reunification would be a step towards the Sharad Pawar-led NCP “joining the government”. The NCP faction led by thelate Ajit Pawar is a part of Maharashtra’s ruling Mahayuti coalition. NCP (SP) is a member of the Maha Vikas Aghadi, including the Shiv Sena (UBT) and the Congress.

The report said that merger talks had progressed to the point where possible cabinet reshuffles and inclusion of new faces were also discussed. A meeting to this effect was held at Sharad Pawar’s home on 17 January. Ajit Pawar died in plane crash on 28 January.

While death may have derailed the timeline of merger plans, the political process remains intact, the Indian Express said. On Wednesday night, senior NCP leaders who rushed to Baramati to pay their respects to Ajit Pawar held a

Meeting where the urgency of continuing the consultations amid the changing political situation was discussed, according to sources mentioned in the report.

A day after Maharashtra Deputy CM Ajit Pawar's death in a plane crash, leaders of his party NCP on Thursday pushed for a state cabinet berth for his wife Sunetra, while Opposition NCP (SP) signalled it wasn't averse to taking forward efforts for the merger of rival groups. Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leaders also suggested that Sunetra Pawar should step forward and lead the outfit, which is a constituent of the ruling Mahayuti alliance led by the BJP.

Chants of "Ajit Dada Amar Rahe" (Ajit Dada is immortal) rent the air on Thursday as Maharashtra bid a final and tearful farewell to Ajit Pawar. The 66-year-old NCP chief, popularly known as 'Dada' (elder brother) in Baramati, was cremated with full state honours at the Vidya Pratishthan college ground.

Thousands of mourners gathered for Ajit Pawar's last rites, chanted "Ajit Dada amar rahe", when his mortal remains, draped in the national flag, were brought from his village, Katewadi, to the Vidya Pratishthan ground, located 100 km from Pune.

(With agency inputs)