NCP Reunion? Sharad Pawar, Nephew Ajit Make Second Joint Appearance In Four Days Ahead Of Maharashtra Local Body Polls

Amid renewed speculation of a possible reunion, Nationalist Congress Party (SP) chief Sharad Pawar once again shared the stage with his estranged nephew and NCP president Ajit Pawar at an event hosted by the Maharashtra State Co-operative Bank in Mumbai on Monday (12 May), the Indian Express reported. 

This marks their second public appearance together in four days, following a joint appearance in Satara last Friday (9 May).

Citing sources, the IE says that these joint appearances are a strategic move to manage internal conflict and boost the morale of party workers ahead of the upcoming local body elections.

The speculation was sparked last week when Sharad Pawar, in an interview, acknowledged differing views within his party on reuniting with Ajit. He said that while some leaders are in favour of negotiating with Ajit Pawar’s group, others are firmly against any alignment with the BJP-led Mahayuti alliance and prefer to remain with the opposition INDI Alliance.

The timing of Pawar’s statement, just after the Supreme Court cleared the path for local polls, further fueled the idea that the veteran leader may be strategically floating the reunion narrative to influence political dynamics before the elections.

A senior NCP leader compared the current situation to 2014, recalling how Ajit Pawar and his faction were earlier given the space to explore an alliance with the BJP, an effort that eventually fell through. According to the leader, Sharad Pawar, appears to be urging his loyalists to remain patient and hold off on any hasty decisions.

The NCP split in June 2023 when Ajit Pawar took 40 MLAs with him, forming a separate faction and joining the government with the BJP and Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena. Since then, both factions have contested elections independently, often fielding candidates against each other.