Ajit Pawar faction NCP rules out merger speculation:Reports of differences in party emerge after Amit Shah meets Sunetra Pawar

The NCP has outright rejected reports of a split in the party following senior leaders’ meeting with Home Minister Amit Shah. The party has made it clear that it remains united under the leadership of Deputy CM Sunetra Pawar and that there is no question of a merger with the NCP (SP). It said political discussions had been taking place over the absence of Sunetra Pawar and her sons, Parth Pawar and Jay Pawar, from the meeting with Amit Shah. The party has rejected these discussions. The senior leader said that the NCP wants to take back the finance portfolio. A decision on who will handle the department will be taken later. In fact, Praful Patel, Sunil Tatkare, Dilip Walse Patil, Chhagan Bhujbal, Hasan Mushrif and Dhananjay Munde met Amit Shah in Delhi on Sunday night. The meeting with Amit Shah took place at a time when the NCP suffered a setback in the recent Maharashtra Legislative Council election. The party lost the Aurangabad Graduates’ seat, which it had held for 18 years. Political speculation intensified over the absence of Sunetra Pawar and her sons, Parth and Jay, from the meeting. Decision on Finance Department to Be Taken at Appropriate Time Sunil Tatkare said the issue of the Finance Department was raised during the meeting with Amit Shah. He said no decision had been taken on the department so far. The Finance Department was earlier held by the late Ajit Pawar. Later, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis retained the department. Tatkare said, “A decision on this will certainly be taken at the appropriate time.” Tatkare said the party was functioning through discussions among its leaders and collective leadership. He said, “We work through dialogue and discussions with one another. We will continue our efforts in this regard in the days ahead.” Organisation and Drought Discussed at Core Committee Meeting Tatkare said the core committee meeting discussed strengthening the party organisation, the drought situation in Maharashtra and the responsibilities of legislators. He said a meeting of all NCP legislators would be held at the party office on Tuesday. The health of senior leader Sharad Pawar was also discussed at the core committee meeting. The leaders wished him a speedy recovery. Tatkare said, “Pawar saheb has made a very significant contribution to Maharashtra and the country over the past six decades.” Umesh Patil Calls the Claims False NCP national chief spokesperson Umesh Patil rejected reports claiming that party president Sunetra Pawar and Rajya Sabha MP Parth Pawar were kept apart at the meeting in Delhi. He described the claims as “false, baseless and misleading”. The NCP leaders who met Amit Shah returned to Mumbai from Delhi late on Sunday night. They then held several closed-door meetings at the residence of Minister of State Chhagan Bhujbal. Umesh Patil said Sunetra Pawar and Parth Pawar had already met Amit Shah over various issues facing the party following Ajit Pawar’s death. He said that at the meeting, Sunetra Pawar had informed Amit Shah about a delegation of senior leaders seeking to meet him. She had also requested Amit Shah to give the delegation time. He said, “An attempt is being made to give the meeting an unnecessary political colour. An atmosphere of differences and a lack of coordination is being created in the party.” Patil said that the NCP is an important constituent of the Mahayuti alliance and is united under Sunetra Pawar’s leadership. ​