Fadnavis Says Only NCP Leaders Can Confirm Merger Plans

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Tuesday said only Sharad Pawar and Sunetra Pawar could confirm whether the two Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) factions were planning to merge, adding that neither had discussed any such move with the BJP. He also said it would be unfair to compare Deputy Chief Minister Sunetra Pawar's leadership with that of her late husband Ajit Pawar. Fadnavis was responding to questions about speculation over a merger of the two NCP factions while speaking to reporters at a Diwali gathering hosted by him at his official residence, Varsha, in Mumbai. "If they (Sharad Pawar and Sunetra Pawar) decide to merge, they will come and tell us, because the merger cannot happen without us. Neither of them has told us anything yet," he said. The merger buzz gained strength last week after several leaders of the Sunetra Pawar-led NCP, including Praful Patel and Parth Pawar , met NCP (SP) head Sharad Pawar, who was recently hospitalised for a chest infection. Asked to compare Sunetra Pawar's leadership with that of her late husband, Fadnavis said, "Ajit Dada was a leader who had been tested over time. He had an immense understanding of Maharashtra and a deep knowledge of the state. Sunetra Pawar is now adapting to the situation. Comparing her with Ajit Dada would be unfair." He said other senior NCP leaders were collectively managing the party.