Mumbai, Feb 13 (IANS) Amid the debate over a possible merger of the two factions of the Nationalist Congress Party — Sharad Pawar and Ajit Pawar camps, NCP (Ajit Pawar) working president Praful Patel on Friday said the party’s priority is to rally behind its leadership and strengthen the organisation.

Patel refrained from commenting on the merger between the two NCP factions.

He said that Sunetra Pawar, being the sole candidate, would be elected as the NCP national president within the next fortnight, thereby indicating that he is not in the fray for the top post.

Patel’s statement comes three days after he, along with Deputy Chief Minister Sunetra Pawar, met Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah and Vice President and Rajya Sabha Chairman C.P. Radhakrishnan.

Patel’s remarks on focusing on strengthening the party organisation also coincide with its victory in the Pune Zilla Parishad and its performance in other zilla parishads, including Kolhapur, as well as in several panchayat samitis.

His statement also comes a day after NCP (SP) working president Supriya Sule on Thursday in New Delhi admitted that talks had been held with late Ajit Pawar regarding a merger, but added that there was no point in raking up the issue, especially after his sudden and untimely death.

Earlier, state NCP chief Sunil Tatkare on Wednesday made it clear that the party is part of the NDA and will continue to remain so.

When asked about the party’s stance on a potential merger, Tatkare said: “Where does the question of our party’s stance even arise? We are in the NDA. While Dada (Ajit Pawar) was alive, I repeatedly clarified our position — that we took a collective decision to join the NDA under his leadership. That decision stood yesterday, it stands today, and it will remain so in the future. Therefore, someone else needs to provide clarity regarding joining the NDA.”

He reaffirmed that Ajit Pawar had favoured being in government with the BJP since 2014-19, and said the party remains committed to the NDA.

However, Maharashtra NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar) president Shashikant Shinde, in a commemorative editorial in the party’s magazine, shed light on what he described as the hidden dynamics behind the split and alleged merger plans.

Shinde claimed that former Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar was forced to exit the original NCP due to threats and conspiracies orchestrated by “invisible powers”.

He further stated that a final decision to merge the two parties was reached on February 12 in the presence of Sharad Pawar.

In a significant claim, Shinde asserted that Sharad Pawar and other senior leaders had agreed to hand over the entire command of the unified party to Ajit Pawar following the merger.

“Fulfilling this merger and rebuilding the party with strength would be the only true tribute to Ajit Dada,” Shinde wrote.

–IANS

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