Ajit Pawar Wanted Both NCP Factions Together, Says Supriya Sule

Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) leader Supriya Sule on Wednesday said that the late Ajit Pawar's final wish to see the reunion of the two factions of the party.

The Baramati Lok Sabha MP also declined to comment on the ongoing speculation over a possible merger between the rival camps.

Speaking to reporters, Sule admitted that there were talks between the two sides before her brother's death and that he had wanted the Sharad Pawar-led NCP (SP) and the Ajit Pawar-led NCP to come together.

"Till my brother (Ajit Pawar) was alive... was there dialogue... 100 per cent. Was it my brother's last wish for all of us to come together? Yes, it was," Sule said. "It was my brother's last wish for both the NCPs to work together and be together. Unfortunately, my brother passed away," she added.

Her comments come amid the rumours of a possible merger between the two factions. The Sharad Pawar-founded party split in 2023 after Ajit Pawar led the rebellion to join the BJP-led NDA government in Maharashtra.

However, Sule refused to comment on the "sources"-based speculations or political gossip. "I don't have so much spare time to indulge in gossip. I don't believe in sources, I believe in reality," she said.

"Let me reassure you that all 8 MPs of NCP(SP) and all our MLAs, we stick together. Whatever decisions we will be taking... please understand NCP(SP) is a party where Sharad Pawar not only leads it, but he invests in everybody and he listens. His biggest strength as a leader is that he is an amazing listener."

Interestingly, leaders from both NCP factions met Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis at his official residence in Mumbai on Thursday.

The NCP (SP) leader Jayant Patil had met Fadnavis over an issue related to his Uran-Ishwarpur constituency in Sangli district, and that Patil did not meet the chief minister alongside ruling NCP leaders Praful Patel and Sunil Tatkare, PTI reported citing sources.