Senior leaders of the Sharad Pawar and Ajit Pawar factions of the NCP have held discussions on a possible merger, with a final decision to be taken after the Zilla Parishad elections.
NCP (Sharad Pawar faction) state president Shashikant Shinde and former state president Jayant Patil said both sides had agreed to contest local body elections together as a step toward unity. Accordingly, the two factions fought municipal corporation elections jointly in Pune and other cities and are also contesting Zilla Parishad elections together in several places.
Shinde said the alliance in local body elections was part of a gradual move toward merger, with further decisions to be taken once the elections conclude.
However, it is understood that some leaders in Ajit Pawar’s group are opposed to the merger. The next steps will depend on discussions between Sharad Pawar and Ajit Pawar, with the role of Sunetra Pawar and Ajit Pawar’s sons expected to be significant.
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