Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) MLA Rohit Pawar stated that talks were held about merging two NCP factions, with Amol Kolhe proposed as the unified party’s state president. Pawar mentioned Ajit Dada’s active involvement in the merger discussions, where Kolhe’s appointment was decided.
Pawar revealed that approximately 13 meetings occurred at Jayant Patil’s Mumbai residence to strategize the merger. Kolhe responded, acknowledging past discussions but noted their current irrelevance, emphasizing that the key figure involved in finalizing the merger was no longer present.
Kolhe, a two-term Lok Sabha MP from Shirur, Pune, and a renowned Marathi actor, highlighted that the merger talks had been public knowledge for some time. The NCP-SP leaders have referenced Ajit Pawar’s role in the discussions, while senior NCP leaders like Praful Patel and Sunil Tatkare have refrained from commenting on the issue.
Rohit Pawar’s statements coincide with Tatkare’s affirmation of NCP’s continued alliance with the National Democratic Alliance (NDA). Recently, Deputy Chief Minister Sunetra Pawar, after meeting with party legislators, was authorized to handle organizational decisions and advised members against public comments on the merger.
NCP-SP Working President Supriya Sule emphasized the futility of revisiting past events, citing Ajit Pawar’s absence to clarify the discussions.
