The buzz that the Sharad Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (NCP-SP) could join the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA), either directly or indirectly, gathered steam, as on Thursday evening senior party leaders Jayant Patil and Jitendra Awhad met deputy chief minister and Shiv Sena president Eknath Shinde at his official residence, Nandanvan, at Malabar Hill.
Event Context
Sharad Pawar’s nephew Ajit who split the NCP in 2023 to join the NDA was in talks with his uncle about reuniting the two factions before he died in plane crash in January this year. His widow Sunetra, who became party president and deputy chief minister, is not keen on the merger. But her son Parth’s growing ambition to take control of the party by side-lining several senior leaders has led to dissent in the ranks, said an NCP minister who did not want to be named. In such a scenario, a proposal for merger could be backed by maximum MLAs who would prefer Pawar back at the helm of affairs provided he joins the ruling side, the NCP minister added.
There are also speculations that Pawar may announce his retirement if the party joins the NDA, choosing the role of a guide. There have been hectic parleys for the past few days which are likely to continue. “The Parliament’s monsoon session begins on Monday and the delimitation bill is unlikely to be tabled immediately. It will give us some time to arrive at a decision,” said the second NCP (SP) leader who also happens to be a former state minister.
Team Analysis
The closed door meeting between the three leaders lasted for about an hour, said people aware of the matter. Shinde, it is believed, postponed his scheduled departure to New Delhi for a meeting of NDA allies to be chaired by Union defence minister Rajnath Singh, in order to meet the two leaders in Mumbai.
Although it is not known what transpired in the meeting, speculations are rife that it was in connection with NCP (SP) weighing its options to join the BJP-led governments at the Centre and in the state.
Shinde’s meeting with Patil and Awhad comes close on the heels of NCP (SP) national working president Supriya Sule softening her stand on the controversial Delimitation Bill – Sule said on Wednesday that her party will consider supporting the proposed bill if the central government accepts their demands.
Prior to her press conference in Mumbai on Wednesday, Pawar’s close aide and senior NCP (SP) leader Jayant Patil was at chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis’s official residence late on Tuesday, where rival NCP faction’s senior leaders Praful Patel and state unit chief Sunil Tatkare too were present, even though leaders from both NCP factions denied the trio had met Fadnavis together.
A fortnight ago, Patil also met BJP national general secretary Vinod Tawde at a south Mumbai hotel. On Thursday, two top NCP (SP) leaders told HT that their party was indeed exploring its options while speaking to BJP.
“We can’t say the things will work out in a particular way but we are exploring the option of joining the NDA directly or indirectly,” said one of the two leaders.
What are NCP (SP)’s options?
Match Outlook
It is believed, Pawar and his colleagues have three possible options—first, to merge the two NCP factions which would mean the party will have nine MPs (eight from NCP-SP and one from NCP) which will be crucial for the BJP in its bid to secure two third majority to pass the delimitation bill in Lok Sabha. Second, to join the NDA separately if deputy chief minister and NCP chief Sunetra Pawar does not agree and the merger doesn’t work out and third, to support the NDA on specific issues, without joining the coalition.
