Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Sunetra Pawar met Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis in Mumbai on Sunday and later spoke with Union Home Minister Amit Shah at Pune airport, renewing speculation about a merger of the two Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) factions.

Fadnavis said his meeting with Sunetra had nothing to do with a merger. Sunetra and her son Parth Pawar are expected to hold further talks with Shah on Monday. The agenda remains unclear.

When asked about a possible merger in Baramati on November 11, Sunetra said, “You will know when the time comes.”

SHAH IN PUNE TO UNVEIL AJIT PAWAR STATUE

Shah is in Pune for a Zilla Parishad programme on Monday to unveil a statue of the late Ajit Pawar. The event is now expected to last 40 minutes instead of 20, fuelling speculation that Shah may meet NCP leaders during his visit.

Shah was also expected to attend the opening of a marathon organised by Union Minister Murlidhar Mohol on Sunday, but the event went ahead without him.

His public schedule lists no major engagements between Sunday evening and Monday morning.

MERGER TALKS ENDED AFTER AJIT'S DEATH: SULE

Sunetra’s meetings came a day after NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar) MP Supriya Sule said the two factions had discussed a merger and even agreed on a date while Ajit Pawar was alive. She said her faction had closed the matter after his death.

“As long as Ajit Pawar was there, talks were underway, and a date had also been decided. But after my brother passed away, a full stop was put to the matter from our side,” Sule said on Saturday.

Sule said she had received no communication from Sunetra’s faction about reviving the talks and would stop commenting on the issue.

The Baramati MP also said senior NCP leader Praful Patel, once a close aide to her father Sharad Pawar, remained on cordial terms with her family.

WHY THE MERGER QUESTION RETURNED

Speculation picked up after senior NCP leaders, including Patel, Sunil Tatkare and Chhagan Bhujbal met Shah in Delhi on November 1. The meeting reportedly touched on differences within the party and a possible merger with the Sharad Pawar-led faction.

Sunetra subsequently called a meeting of NCP legislators at her official residence, Devgiri, amid reports of discontent among senior leaders over organisational decisions and Parth’s growing role in appointments.

Patel visited Sharad Pawar at a Mumbai hospital on November 5. Parth also met his grandfather around the same time, and the two meetings fuelled speculation about a reunion.

The NCP split in 2023 when Ajit Pawar broke away from Sharad Pawar and joined the BJP-led Mahayuti government. Sunetra now leads the faction that joined the ruling alliance, while Sharad Pawar continues to head the NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar).

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