NCP Factions Were Close to Reunification, Says Jayant Patil, Calling It Ajit Pawar’s Final Wish

Mumbai, Jan 2026 : In the aftermath of the tragic plane crash that claimed the life of Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, senior Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) leader Jayant Patil on Saturday made a series of striking revelations, stating that the two factions of the NCP were on the brink of a formal merger.

Patil said the proposed reunification was not merely a political calculation but reflected what he described as Ajit Pawar’s “final wish” — to undo the split in the party while his uncle Sharad Pawar remains active in public life. His remarks followed similar comments made earlier in the day by Sharad Pawar in Baramati, lending further weight to the claims that reconciliation talks had reached an advanced stage.

According to Patil, the merger had been nearly finalised and was scheduled to be formally announced on February 12. He revealed that the decision had originally been taken on January 16, with an understanding that the announcement would come after the Zilla Parishad elections scheduled for February 8.

“It was decided on January 16 to announce the merger after the Zilla Parishad polls,” Patil said. “Since I had a wedding to attend in Delhi, Ajit Dada told me that whatever date I decided would be acceptable. We then fixed February 12 for the announcement.”

Patil added that Ajit Pawar had already communicated the merger plan to key leaders of his faction, including Praful Patel, Sunil Tatkare, Chhagan Bhujbal and others. “Ajit Pawar had informed senior leaders of his party about the proposed reunification and had assured us that there would be no resistance from his legislators,” Patil said.

Describing the emotional dimension of the decision, Patil said Ajit Pawar was deeply troubled by the split in the party and wanted to reunite both the Pawar family and the NCP cadre. “Ajit Pawar’s last wish was to see the two factions come together,” he said. “Now that Sunetra Pawar is taking over the leadership responsibility, only if she considers the sentiments of the party MLAs can that wish be fulfilled.”

Patil disclosed that around 10 high-level meetings had been held over the past four months to discuss the reunification, four of which took place at his own residence. During these meetings, he said, Ajit Pawar repeatedly expressed his desire to heal the divide and restore the party’s original unity.

“We were meeting frequently in recent weeks. On January 16, we met at my house to finalise coordination for the local body elections. The objective was always clear — to bring the NCP family back together,” Patil said, adding that the sudden loss of Ajit Pawar had left the process incomplete.

A key element of the reunification plan involved contesting the upcoming Zilla Parishad elections under a single party symbol — the Clock. Patil said Ajit Pawar wanted to first test the strength of a united NCP at the grassroots level before proceeding with the formal merger.

“Ajit Pawar was confident that all his MLAs supported the idea of reunification,” Patil said. “He believed there would be no internal opposition to the merger.”

Expressing deep grief, Patil said the sudden plane crash in Baramati had “interrupted” a political process that was on the verge of completion. “If Ajit Dada were alive today, the political map of Maharashtra would have looked very different by next week,” he said.

Even as Jayant Patil and other NCP(SP) leaders such as Eknath Khadse and Anil Deshmukh continue to speak openly about the merger talks, the Ajit Pawar-led faction has largely remained silent. Senior leaders Sunil Tatkare and Chhagan Bhujbal have declined to comment, stating that their immediate focus is on addressing the leadership vacuum and supporting the Pawar family during this period of mourning.

Meanwhile, Sunetra Pawar, Ajit Pawar’s wife, is set to be sworn in as Deputy Chief Minister later on Saturday, a move aimed at ensuring political and administrative stability within the Mahayuti government as Maharashtra navigates a moment of profound transition.

(The content of this article is sourced from a news agency and has not been edited by the Mavericknews30 team.)