Mumbai

Leaders of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and the Nationalist Congress Party (Sharad Pawar faction) (NCP-SP) on Saturday traded sharp barbs over the issue of a possible merger of the two factions and an article written about late leader Ajit Pawar, who died in a plane crash on January 28.

NCP spokesperson Anand Paranjpe condemned the article published in the NCP-SP mouthpiece Rashtravadi, terming it defamatory even after Pawar’s death, and demanded an apology. In response, NCP-SP state unit chief Shashikant Shinde, who authored the piece, said the merger issue had already been “closed” by the Sharad Pawar-led faction.

Shinde told reporters that any final decision on a merger was earlier meant to be taken after local body elections and through consultations. However, he said there was no point in discussing reunification now as “there is no leader left to hold discussions” following Ajit Pawar’s demise.

“The issue has been closed by the NCP (SP). We are now focusing on rebuilding the party,” Shinde asserted, adding that a false perception was being created that his faction was aggressively pushing for a merger.

Clarifying his article, Shinde said he had not accused Ajit Pawar of making a mistake. “I only said he wanted to rectify the division in the party,” the NCP-SP MLC said.

Paranjpe, however, rejected the claims made in the article, calling them “false and misleading”. “Attempts are being made to malign his image even after his demise. An apology must be tendered to Deputy Chief Minister Sunetra Pawar and her family,” he said, warning that party workers would respond strongly.

In the tribute published in the February 2026 issue of Rashtravadi, Shinde had written that “manoeuvres by invisible forces, threats and false allegations” compelled Ajit Pawar to leave the undivided party, leading to the split in the Sharad Pawar-founded organisation.

Dismissing this, Paranjpe said Ajit Pawar had long advocated an alliance with the BJP during internal discussions and did not leave due to conspiracies or pressure. He also criticised the timing of merger talks soon after Pawar’s death, calling it politically insensitive.

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Senior NCP leader and Maharashtra minister Chhagan Bhujbal questioned the need for daily speculation on a merger. “Sunetra Pawar will take a call at the appropriate time. Why the haste?” he asked, slamming continuous discussion on the issue.