Was Ajit Pawar Actively Planning NCP Merger Before Tragic Death?
The sudden and tragic death of Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Ajit Pawar in a plane crash on Wednesday has created a significant political vacuum within the state's ruling establishment. This unexpected event has also reignited crucial questions about a potential party reunion that might have been much closer to fruition than previously understood by political observers and the public alike.
A Political Giant's Final Ambition
Ajit Pawar, often affectionately called 'dada', was the second-most influential figure in the Devendra Fadnavis-led Mahayuti government. He served as a key pillar alongside Shiv Sena's Eknath Shinde, positioning himself at the very center of Maharashtra's complex three-power-axis politics. With the demise of this Baramati strongman, the future of the Nationalist Congress Party now hangs in a delicate balance. The party has remained fractured since its dramatic and highly publicized split back in 2023.
In his final days, was Ajit Pawar actively working towards merging both factions of the NCP? According to those who were closest to him, the answer is a definitive yes. A senior aide provided a revealing statement to the news agency PTI, confirming that the late leader was indeed keen on a reunion of the two factions led by him and his uncle, the veteran politician Sharad Pawar.
Confirmation from Close Associates
Kiran Gurjar, a longtime associate who has known Ajit Pawar since before his entry into politics in the mid-1980s, disclosed that the Deputy Chief Minister had confided in him just five days before the fatal plane crash. "He was one hundred per cent keen on merging both the factions. He had told me five days ago that the entire process was complete and the merger was imminent in the next few days," Gurjar stated emphatically.
Echoing this very sentiment, a leader from the Sharad Pawar-led NCP (SP), Eknath Khadse, told ANI, "Both factions of NCP to come together." This statement adds considerable weight to the notion that merger discussions were not merely speculative but were actively progressing behind the scenes. Furthermore, Ajit Pawar himself had earlier communicated to TOI that reuniting the party was his immediate political goal, and he claimed to have the blessings of his uncle, Sharad Pawar, for this endeavor.
The Stark Irony of the Situation
The irony of this moment is particularly stark. Ajit Pawar was, after all, the primary architect of the 2023 split that fractured the NCP. He successfully aligned a majority of its legislators with the BJP–Shinde Sena-led Mahayuti government. That decisive move left Sharad Pawar with the remaining faction in opposition. Yet, in a significant political maneuver, Ajit Pawar also managed to retain the party’s official identity. The Election Commission recognized his group as the "real" NCP and awarded it the iconic "watch" symbol.
Despite this deep and public split, communication channels between the two sides never fully closed. A sense of mutual respect within the broader Pawar family endured. Notably, the two factions recently came together for local body elections, a collaboration that fueled widespread speculation that a formal merger was only a matter of time.
Leadership Vacuum and Succession Questions
Now, the ruling NCP faction finds itself abruptly leaderless. With senior leader Chhagan Bhujbal reportedly not in good health and Ajit Pawar gone, the party faces an profoundly uncertain future. Sharad Pawar, the party’s founder and patron, continues to head the opposition NCP (SP). Within Ajit Pawar’s own faction, voices are already emerging over the critical question of succession.
Many party members are advocating for his wife and Rajya Sabha MP, Sunetra Pawar, to take charge. Others have floated the name of his nephew, Parth Pawar, while some see Ajit’s son, Jay Pawar, as the natural political heir from the family's Baramati bastion. "NCP's identity goes with the Pawar family and so far the party's functioning revolved around Sharad Pawar, Ajit Pawar and Supriya Sule. Now with the untimely death of Ajit Pawar, many party seniors as well as grassroots workers feel that only his wife Sunetra can take his position," one NCP functionary told TOI.
Ajit Pawar had already begun preparing the next generation for political roles. In 2024, he introduced his son Jay Pawar to Baramati’s political circles and held strategic meetings with local units during the election campaign. Following Sunetra Pawar’s defeat in the Lok Sabha election, Ajit had expressed his personal wish to step aside and nominate Jay as the party’s candidate for the Baramati assembly seat.
"Ajitdada was keen to bring Jay into active politics. He was preparing him for a bigger role in the party. After his death, the demand is growing particularly from Baramati for Jay to get into politics. Though NCP seniors are not averse to his entry, they felt that his mother Sunetra, who comes from a political family, will be able to command more respect and keep the NCP flock together, if a merger does not work out," a political observer explained to TOI.
Complicated Future for Merger Talks
Sunetra Pawar had contested against Supriya Sule in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections but was unsuccessful. This time, party insiders believe that if a Pawar from Ajit’s immediate family contests from Baramati, no major political party is likely to field a rival candidate out of respect. However, Ajit Pawar’s tragic death has significantly complicated what once appeared to be an imminent reunion.
The merger talks were widely expected to gain substantial momentum after the February 5 zilla parishad elections. But without the man who was the primary driving force behind the process, building a new consensus may prove exceptionally difficult. Another close aide and NCP functionary revealed that the talks of reunion were "only limited to Pawar family members."
He added a crucial detail: "They were still working out a strategy to involve other senior members from both sides to take the proposal forward. Due to Ajit Pawar’s death, the process of having a reunion is likely to halt for some time till the NCP finds its new chief."
The Core Challenge: Power Alignment
Political observers note that the biggest and most formidable challenge now lies in the fundamental power alignment between the two factions. Ajit Pawar’s faction is an integral part of the ruling Mahayuti coalition, while Sharad Pawar’s NCP (SP) remains firmly in the opposition. Convincing sitting MLAs in the government to willingly give up their positions of power, or alternatively, persuading the opposition faction to join the BJP-led alliance, will not be an easy task by any measure.
Sharad Pawar and his daughter, Supriya Sule, who is the working president of NCP (SP), now face a monumental and crucial decision. They must determine whether pursuing a reunion is worth the significant ideological and political compromises it may inevitably demand from both sides.
Whether the two NCP factions ultimately reunite or choose to chart entirely separate futures, one stark reality is abundantly clear: Ajit Pawar’s sudden and untimely death has irrevocably altered Maharashtra’s intricate political equations in ways that will undoubtedly take considerable time to settle and fully understand.
