There is speculation that Sharad Pawar’s Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) may join the NDA or merge with the Congress. However, the party’s Maharashtra president, Shashikant Shinde, has dismissed these claims as rumours.
According to sources, leaders within Sharad Pawar’s faction are not in favour of joining the NDA, and some have expressed their opposition. His grandson, Rohit Pawar, is also reported to be against such a move.
The speculation gathered pace after Sharad Pawar attended a meeting on the Maharashtra-Karnataka border dispute at the Vidhan Bhavan in Mumbai on 8 July. After the meeting, he met MLAs from his party in Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde’s office.
Two reasons fuelled the speculation
- On Wednesday, Sharad Pawar met Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde at the Vidhan Bhavan. According to sources, Shinde briefly stepped out of an ongoing meeting after learning that Pawar had arrived. However, no official details have been released about what the two leaders discussed.
- A day earlier, BJP National General Secretary Vinod Tawde and senior NCP (Sharad Pawar faction) leader Jayant Patil met at a hotel in Mumbai. Explaining the meeting, Jayant Patil said that, considering Sharad Pawar’s age and health, it was not appropriate for him to walk long distances. Since Deputy Chief Minister Shinde’s office is close to the Vidhan Bhavan exit, the meeting was held there for convenience.
Sanjay Raut says he will speak to Pawar
Shiv Sena (UBT) leader and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut described the meeting as “glorifying traitors”. He said he would speak to Sharad Pawar about it, although he remained confident that Pawar would not join the NDA.
Responding to Raut’s remarks, NCP (SP) spokesperson Amol Matele said, “Sharad Pawar has more than 50 years of political experience and does not need political lessons. If a meeting between Sharad Pawar and Eknath Shinde makes the Maha Vikas Aghadi appear unstable, it means the alliance’s foundation is weak.”
NCP was formed after splitting from the Congress
The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) was founded on 10 June 1999 by Sharad Pawar, P. A. Sangma and Tariq Anwar. The three leaders questioned the Congress leadership over Sonia Gandhi’s foreign origin, after which they were expelled from the party. They later formed the NCP.
