Sharad Pawar faction MLAs trying to merge with Congress, Ajit camp leader claims | Latest News India

A few legislators from the Sharad Pawar-led faction of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) want to merge with the Congress, according to Sunil Tatkare, the Maharashtra unit president of the Ajit Pawar-headed group of the NCP.

“Five to six MLAs from NCP (Sharad Pawar) are trying to get in touch with the Congress leadership. This group wants to merge with the Congress,” Tatkare told reporters on Friday.

His statement comes days after Sharad Pawar, who founded NCP in 1999 – the party saw a vertical split in July last year into factions headed by Sharad and Ajit, the former’s nephew – said in an interview that in the near future, several regional parties could merge in the Congress.

The Maharashtra-based NCP came into existence after Sharad Pawar, PA Sangma, and Tariq Anwar, were expelled from the grand old party.

The Election Commission recognises the Ajit group as the “real” NCP.

‘Tatkare trying to please BJP’: NCP (SP)

Responding to Tatkare’s claim, NCP (SP) spokesperson Clyde Crasto stated that the former was trying to “please” the BJP.

“He (Tatkare) knows that his party will not win a single Lok Sabha seat in the state. He is making such comments to stay relevant and to please the BJP,” Crasto asserted.

The Ajit-led NCP governs Maharashtra in alliance with the BJP and chief minister Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena. NCP (SP), on the other hand, is member of the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) coalition with the Congress and Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray).

The Shiv Sena, too, had suffered a split, in June 2022, with Eknath Shinde rebelling against then Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray, leading to collapse of the MVA regime. Shinde succeeded Thackeray as chief minister as well.

The Shinde camp is recognised as the “real” Shiv Sena by the Election Commission.

(With PTI inputs)