Ajit Pawar's NCP Rules Out Reunion With Sharad's Faction On Party's Foundation Day

Last Updated:June 10, 2025, 20:58 IST

Both factions celebrated the party’s foundation day with separate events in Pune

Is Sharad Pawar-Ajit Pawar reunion on the cards? (PTI File Image)

The Ajit Pawar-led ist Congress Party (NCP) has dismissed any plans to reunite with the rival NCP (Sharad Pawar) faction as it marked its 26th foundation day on Tuesday.

The statement comes amid recent speculation about a possible merger between the two groups, which split in 2023 when Ajit Pawar, nephew of NCP co-founder Sharad Pawar, joined the BJP-Shiv Sena government in Maharashtra. Both factions celebrated the party’s foundation day with separate events in Pune.

Sunil Tatkare, state NCP chief, said to join the NDA was a collective decision for the “welfare of the people", and not a decision of Ajit Pawar — currently Maharashtra deputy chief minister — alone.

“…It was not a personal decision. It was a collective decision to join the NDA under Ajit Pawar’s leadership. I have clarified often that from 2014 onwards, there were several occasions when the decision to join the (BJP-led) alliance was taken by the (then undivided) party. We were almost on the verge of joining the NDA, but at the last moment, the decision was changed," he said.

In 2023, the party, under the leadership of Ajit Pawar, decided to join the ruling alliance for the welfare of the people, he added.

“We joined the NDA without compromising on our secular ideology and the ideology of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, Mahatma Phule, Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar and Shahu Maharaj," Tatkare said.

The party’s “journey" will continue under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and senior BJP leader Amit Shah, he added.

“There is no such proposal," Tatkare told reporters when asked about speculation that the two factions could come together.

Ajit Pawar himself made no definitive statement about the possibility of reuniting with NCP (Sharad Pawar), only saying that such decisions are taken by the top leadership, and not by party workers or junior leaders.

He also justified his decision to join hands with the BJP and become part of the state government, saying “we are no saints" to be content with being in the opposition and protesting. His party wanted to work for the people, he added.

At the foundation day function of the NCP (Sharad Pawar) elsewhere in Pune, party MP Supriya Sule avoided a direct reply to a question about reunion.

Asked about a section of the NCP (SP) wanting to reunite with Ajit Pawar’s party, and her father Sharad Pawar saying all decisions regarding the party will be taken by her, Sule said, “I have had no time to discuss the party affairs with party leaders or meet even my family for the last 15 days." Sule recently led a multi-party delegation and travelled to a few foreign countries to convey India’s stand following Operation Sindoor.

“Some people went with other ideologies, and this split widened. I do not want to talk about it today. But those who remained loyal to the party, it was because of our party’s ideology," Sharad Pawar said at his party’s event.

“Do not dwell on who has left or who has joined. If we stay united and remain committed to the common people, we will not face any problems," the veteran politician said.

Maharashtra, India, India

News politics Ajit Pawar's NCP Rules Out Reunion With Sharad's Faction On Party's Foundation Day