Patole Claims 30 Meets Held To Reunite Rival NCP Factions

Nagpur: Senior Congress leader Nana Patole on Wednesday claimed that more than 30 meetings were held to explore a reunion between the two rival factions of the NCP, even as he cast doubt on the credibility of the investigation into dyCM Ajit Pawar's recent plane crash. The Congress leader also endorsed demands by NCP (SP) legislator Rohit Pawar for an international investigation into the Jan 28 plane crash involving former dyCM Ajit Pawar.Speaking to TOI, Patole said discussions between the camps led by Ajit Pawar and his uncle Sharad Pawar took place at the residence of Jayant Patil, former president of NCP (SP).
"The home of BJP minister Mangal Prabhat Lodha is located opposite Patil's residence, and he would be aware of the discussions. If two families are coming together, no one should obstruct it, and no one should have any problem with it," Patole said.The NCP split in 2023 after Ajit Pawar broke ranks with Sharad Pawar to join the BJP-led govt in Maharashtra, triggering a battle over the party's name and symbol. The Election Commission subsequently recognised Ajit Pawar's faction as the official NCP, while Sharad Pawar's group adopted the name NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar).Patole said the factions must clarify whether they intend to remain with the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) or return to the opposition bloc of the INDI alliance.Though dyCM Sunetra Pawar demanded a CBI inquiry for the Ajit Pawar helicopter crash, Patole said he had no confidence in the agency. "We do not have any trust in CBI, which has become the govt's puppet," he said. He alleged that the CBI did not make public its report into the 2019 Pulwama attack, in which 40 CRPF personnel were killed.Quoting Rohit Pawar, Patole claimed that "even the black box of Ajit Pawar's aircraft was found to be burnt". He said the Indian govt typically sends flight recorders to the United States or Canada for examination, but alleged that authorities did not disclose the status of the black box from an Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad last year. "If aircraft of high-profile dignitaries are not safe, what about the common man?" Patole asked.Patole's remarks come against the backdrop of years of political upheaval in Maharashtra. Since 2019, the state witnessed the formation and collapse of coalition govts, the split of the NCP and Shiv Sena, and shifting alliances that reshaped its political landscape. Any rapprochement between the Pawar factions would mark a significant recalibration in the state's power dynamics.