By Admin 
Sharad Pawar and Ajit Pawar came together in Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation elections, but the results were not as desired. Despite this, this election experiment made one thing clear that the bitterness within the Pawar family is now almost over. Both the groups will fight together in the Zilla Parishad and Panchayat Samiti elections to be held on February 5. Amidst this changed political picture, speculations regarding the merger of the two groups have intensified.
In the recent municipal elections, Bharatiya Janata Party captured 119 out of 165 seats in Pune. In comparison, both the factions of the Nationalist Congress Party together could not present any major challenge. The declining influence of NCP in urban areas is the reason which has forced Sharad and Ajit to come together once again.
After the decision of both the factions to contest the elections together, it is natural to raise the question whether there will be a formal merger of the party. However, Ajit Pawar has clearly said that at present there has been no discussion regarding the unification of the two parties.
On the other hand, both Ajit Pawar and Supriya Sule have publicly admitted that there is no bitterness left within the family.
Parted ways in 2023
In July 2023, when Ajit Pawar left his uncle and joined the then Shinde government, there was a split in the NCP. At that time, leaders like Praful Patel, Chhagan Bhujbal and Sunil Tatkare also accompanied Ajit.
It is said that Ajit Pawar had met Sharad Pawar two-three times and tried to convince him to come with him, but then Sharad Pawar was not ready. At that time, ‘India’ alliance was being formed in national politics and Sharad Pawar saw better prospects for himself there.
Assembly and local elections increased concern
In the Lok Sabha elections, Ajit Pawar faction got better results than expected in Maharashtra, but by the time of assembly elections, that momentum stopped. Now the situation in local body elections looks more challenging. In such a situation, the coming together of both the groups is being considered a strategic compulsion.
The path of merger is not so easy. Ajit Pawar is currently in the government with BJP. In such a situation, the big question is whether Sharad Pawar will be ready to go with BJP? If both the groups meet then who will be in command of the party and what will be the role of Supriya Sule. The tussle on these issues is also considered certain.
Recently, Ajit Pawar and Sharad Pawar met in Baramati, in which Supriya Sule and Rohit Pawar were also present. After the meeting, Supriya Sule said that closed door discussions cannot be made public, but serious discussions are going on regarding the future of the party.