Ajit Pawar planned NCP merger announcement on Feb 12, says Jayant Patil
Mumbai: Senior NCP (SP) leader Jayant Patil on Saturday said late Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Ajit Pawar was actively working to reunite the two rival factions of the party and had planned to formally announce the merger on February 12.
Speaking to reporters in Islampur, Patil said Ajit Pawar had held several meetings with him and other leaders in recent weeks to resolve differences and bring the party back together. “He (Ajit Pawar) visited my house on multiple occasions and held talks over dinner. He said he wanted to reunite with his uncle by getting over the past. On January 16, we decided to contest the upcoming Zilla Parishad elections together, and the announcement of the formal merger was to be made on February 12,” Patil said.
His comments came after NCP founder Sharad Pawar revealed earlier that Ajit Pawar was preparing to make the merger announcement next month, but his sudden death disrupted the process.
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Ajit Pawar, who was serving as Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister, died earlier this week in a plane crash in Baramati, his hometown in Pune district. Four others were also killed when the Learjet 45 aircraft they were travelling in crashed shortly after takeoff.
Patil said Ajit Pawar had informed senior leaders Praful Patel, Sunil Tatkare and Chhagan Bhujbal about the reunification efforts and had received assurances of their support. “He was eager to reunite both factions first. We had detailed discussions about it several times,” he said.
When asked whether Ajit Pawar planned to continue in the Mahayuti government after the merger, Patil said the issue involved several aspects and would be addressed later.
The NCP, founded by Sharad Pawar in 1999, split in July 2023 after Ajit Pawar joined the Eknath Shinde-led Mahayuti government and became deputy chief minister. He continued in the role even after Devendra Fadnavis took over as chief minister following the November 2024 Assembly elections.