NCP Reunion: The sudden passing of Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar could potentially lead to the unification of the two factions of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), a possibility that seems increasingly likely following the results of the Zilla Parishad and Panchayat Samiti elections, which are set to take place after the February 7 polls.

Negotiators from both the ruling NCP faction and the Sharad Pawar-led NCP (SP) have stated that the process of reunification is "very much on course."

However, the timeline for reunification had been meticulously planned by Ajit Pawar before his tragic plane crash, after he had tested the waters by contesting the Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad civic polls as a joint force.

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar was keen on merging the two factions of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), and it was expected to happen soon, according to a close associate of the late leader, who told news agency PTI.

Discussions concerning the potential merger between the NCP factions led by Ajit Pawar and his uncle, Sharad Pawar, had begun while Ajit Pawar was still alive. According to a report by Jagran.com, 14 meetings had already taken place over the past six weeks regarding the merger of the two factions.

Ajit Pawar had met with Sharad Pawar just days before his death, and reports suggest that the merger was intended to be officially announced in the second week of February, immediately after the Zilla Parishad elections. However, this plan was tragically interrupted by his sudden death in a plane crash.

Meanwhile, due to the three-day state mourning, the voting process which was originally scheduled for February 5, will now take place on February 7. Consequently, the counting of votes has been moved from February 7 to February 9, according to the State Election Commission (SEC).

The void left by Ajit Pawar’s passing has heightened the urgency of merging the two factions. If Ajit Pawar’s family his wife Sunetra, and sons Parth and Jai Pawar agree to the merger, the formalities could be completed swiftly.

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This brings us to the next crucial question: will Sharad Pawar join the grand alliance?In such a scenario, Sharad Pawar could take over the leadership of the unified party, offering prominent roles and respect within the party and government to Ajit Pawar’s family. However, this would require Sharad Pawar to break away from Maharashtra’s opposition alliance, the Maha Vikas Aghadi, and join the ruling Mahayuti (grand alliance) in Maharashtra, as well as the NDA at the national level.

Currently, the Ajit Pawar-led faction of the NCP holds 40 seats in the Maharashtra Assembly (excluding Ajit Pawar’s vacant Baramati seat), while the Sharad Pawar faction holds 10. Following any merger, attention will shift to whether the newly united party remains aligned with the BJP-led Mahayuti government.

Even if the party decides to exit the ruling alliance, the Devendra Fadnavis-led government is expected to remain stable, as it maintains a commanding majority with 235 MLAs in the 288-member legislature.

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Though Ajit Pawar had worked closely with the BJP and Shiv Sena as part of the ruling alliance, he had consistently maintained that he was a secular leader, dedicated to the progressive ideological legacy of 'Shahu, Phule, and Ambedkar' (Chhatrapati Shahu Maharaj, Mahatma Phule, and Dr B R Ambedkar).

Will Sunetra Pawar Become Next Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister?

Sunetra Pawar, wife of the late Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, is likely to be appointed the state's new Deputy Chief Minister. Maharashtra minister Chhagan Bhujbal confirmed on Friday that the NCP legislature party would meet on January 31 to appoint Sunetra Pawar as its leader. Following this, Sunetra could take the oath as Deputy Chief Minister either on that day or shortly thereafter.

Bhujbal further stated that Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis had communicated that he had no objections to Sunetra Pawar’s oath-taking ceremony taking place on Saturday, provided the decision is made by the NCP’s legislature wing at their office.

Nationalist Congress Party working president Praful Patel also affirmed that there was no opposition to Sunetra Pawar succeeding her late husband as leader of the NCP legislature wing, though family consent will be obtained before filling the key position.

Sunetra Pawar is currently a Rajya Sabha MP but is not a member of either house of the Maharashtra legislature. With the Baramati assembly seat now vacant following Ajit Pawar’s death, the immediate priority will be to fill the vacant position of legislature party leader, followed by that of Deputy Chief Minister. However, the final decision will be taken at the legislature party meeting.

( With PTI Inputs )