Ajit Pawar was to lead NCP after merger: NCP (SP) state chief writes in party mouthpiece

KOLHAPUR: NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar had agreed to merge the two NCPs, with former deputy CM Ajit Pawar set to lead the unified party, NCP (SP) state chief Shashikant Shinde stated in an article in the Feb edition of party mouthpiece Rashtrawadi. It stated that the merger announcement was scheduled for Feb 12.The magazine's issue is dedicated to Ajit Pawar, who died in an air crash on Jan 28. In the article, Shinde claimed that "invisible forces, threats and a web of false allegations" drove Ajit Pawar away from Sharad Pawar in 2023. "Ajit Pawar was aware of all this. He wanted to correct the mistake and had begun taking steps over the last four to five months. He started discussions with senior leaders including Sharad Pawar and Jayant Patil to help merge the two parties," the article stated. Shinde could not be reached for comment. His associates said Shinde wrote the article after Ajit Pawar's demise, and the decision to dedicate the edition to Ajit Pawar was taken around the same time.NCP (SP) state chief’s aim is some political gain: TatkareAddressing a press conference in Delhi, NCP state president Sunil Tatkare dismissed Shinde’s assertions as “wrong and baseless.” He strongly objected to the suggestion that Ajit Pawar had split from the party due to conspiracies or “invisible forces”.“Ajit Pawar’s opinion to align with BJP was not new. It was there in 2014, the discussions reached final stages in 2016-17, and in 2019, he was of the opinion that BJP and NCP can form a stable alliance and the state will get Centre’s help,” Tatkare said.He said if Shinde continued to level such accusations after Ajit Pawar’s death, he would respond appropriately as NCP’s state president. “The article shows that Shinde wants to achieve something politically after Ajit Pawar’s demise,” Tatkare said.Shinde’s piece further stated that as the first step toward reunification, Ajit Pawar intentionally coordinated alliances between the two NCPs in municipal corporation and ZP elections.“The decision to merge both parties on Feb 12 was taken in front of Sharad Pawar. Along with the merger, the decision to hand over the reins of the party post-merger to Ajit Pawar was taken by Sharad Pawar and all of us. The party workers also had a strong urge and hoped for it to happen. Ajit Pawar was strongly insisting, but his dream was cut off midway. Now, it is our responsibility to bring both parties together. Everyone should show large heart and honestlywork to achieve it. Merging both parties and emerging strongly will be the only tribute to Ajit Pawar,” Shinde stated in the article.Rohit Pawar postpones political press meetNCP (SP) MLA Rohit Pawar said on Thursday that he was engaged in meetings related to the plane crash probe and would speak later on matters concerning the party merger.“For us, the plane crash investigation is now the priority. Once that is addressed, I will hold the political press conference that I had planned for Feb 12,” the MLA posted.