Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) MP Supriya Sule arrives at the Parliament House during the budget session (Photo: ANI)
Supriya Sule, Lok Sabha member of the Sharad Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), on Wednesday stated that their faction has no plans to merge with any other political party. Speaking to reporters after a meeting at Sharad Pawar’s residence, Sule clarified that the Sharad Pawar-led NCP will continue to contest elections as part of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance.
“Our faction will not merge with any political party. We will contest the upcoming elections as part of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA),” Sule said.
The meeting, attended by senior leaders including Anil Deshmukh, Rajesh Tope, Amol Kolhe and Shrinivas Patil, focused on planning for an upcoming meeting of the INDIA bloc. The discussions also focused on selecting leaders to tackle the rally.
Pune city unit president Prashant Jagtap denied reports of a merger and emphasized that the NCP will emerge with a new name and symbol.
Jagtap said, “Today’s meeting was held in view of the upcoming Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha elections. Discussions were also held at the INDIA Alliance meeting on February 24 in Pune.”
Anil Deshmukh shared similar sentiments and dismissed speculations about the merger of the NCP (Sharad Pawar) with any other political entity.
Ajit Pawar vs Sharad Pawar
The division within the NCP emerged in July last year when Ajit Pawar and eight other MLAs joined the Eknath Shinde-led Maharashtra government, causing a rift in the party.
After a series of hearings and reviews by the Election Commission for over six months, the dispute was resolved in favor of Ajit Pawar’s faction on February 6, 2024. The Sharad Pawar-led faction had been given till February 7, 2024 to finalize a new name for their political party.
The Election Commission’s decision to award the NCP name and ‘bell’ symbol to Ajit Pawar’s faction has been challenged by Sharad Pawar in the Supreme Court.
(With input from the agency)
First print: February 14, 2024 | 3:03 PM IST