Mumbai, Nov 4 — Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) National Spokesperson Umesh Patil on Wednesday flagged concerns over the merger of NCP and NCP-SP, saying no one speaks about which faction's candidates be fielded during elections and also the choice of office bearers in case the factions are united.
Speaking to IANS, Patil acknowledged that circumstances have certainly changed after the passing away of former Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister late Ajit Pawar, who was also the NCP Chief.
However, he said that the current NCP Chief Sunetra Pawar is effectively handling the role of the Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister and strengthening the organisation.
Noting that the news of NCP's merger keep resurfacing every now and then, the NCP Spokesperson said: "But if there is to be a merger, how exactly will it happen? In Maharashtra, there are 78 organisational districts. Both factions of NCP have 78 district presidents. If a merger takes place, whose district president will remain in office and who will be removed? How will those removed be accommodated? What formula will be followed?"
Umesh Patil recalled that in the 2024 Lok Sabha and Assembly elections, both factions of the NCP had contested against each other in almost every constituency, while saying: "Those who won are confident that they will receive the party ticket in 2029. Even those who lost believe they will get another opportunity from their faction. But if the two parties become one, then what will the defeated candidates think?"
"The winning candidate will obviously be given the ticket again, and preparations are already underway. The others may have no other option except to leave the party," he added.
Expressing concern, the NCP leader said that while everyone talks about a merger, no one explains how it will actually be implemented.
"What will happen to leaders, their workers, and their supporters? In the same constituency, these people have been fighting against each other," Patil added.
Citing an example, the NCP spokesperson said: "In Islampur, Jayant Patil won from the NCP-SP faction, while our candidate, Nishikant Patil, lost by around 12,000 to 13,000 votes. He is already preparing for the next election. If the parties merge, that seat will naturally go to Jayant Patil. Then what will Nishikant Patil do? How will we ensure justice for him after a merger? What options will remain for him?"
Adding to his concern, Patil said that even if such adjustments can be made in a few places, how can this be managed across in every district, every Assembly constituency, and every Lok Sabha constituency in Maharashtra, where the two factions are essentially each other's opposition?
He also questioned that who will become the Maharashtra NCP President in case of a merger, while also questioning the future roles of NCP-SP Chief Sharad Pawar and senior leaders like Supriya Sule and Rohit Pawar.
"Will it be someone from the trumpet (NCP-SP) faction or the clock faction (NCP)? What will happen to the position of national president? What role will Pawar 'Saheb' (Sharad Pawar) play? What role will Supriya Sule play? What about Rohit Pawar? There are many such issues," Patil said.
Meanwhile, NCP MP and party's Maharashtra unit president Sunil Tatkare on Monday clarified that the issue of party merger is completely closed, emphasising that the party's primary focus is on strengthening its organisation and working collectively under the leadership of party president and Deputy CM Sunetra Pawar.