NCP merger talks: What was finalised before Ajit Pawar’s death halted the process

Almost everything was in place for the merger of the two Nationalist Congress Party factions. One step remained.

That final step was talks with the Bharatiya Janata Party. Before it could happen, the process stopped abruptly.

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News agency UNI mentioned senior party sources as saying the talks halted after the death of Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar in a plane crash on January 28. The negotiations have remained frozen since.

Also Read: ‘Fadnavis has no right to speak on NCP merger’: Sharad Pawar, says no ‘political discussions’ between factions

What the merger plan looked like before talks stalled

Discussions between the NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar faction) and the Ajit Pawar faction commenced in January 2025. Multiple rounds of meetings followed. These were held between then state unit chief Jayant Patil and Ajit Pawar.

According to sources mentioned by UNI, the talks had moved close to closure.

The proposal was far-reaching. Sharad Pawar was prepared to step back from active politics. He was willing to hand full control of a united NCP to Ajit Pawar.

This included complete decision-making authority and the post of national party president.

In return, Sharad Pawar sought political and organisational space for his group. He asked for key ministerial positions in the Maharashtra government and important posts within the party structure.

The Sharad Pawar faction demanded cabinet berths for Rohit Pawar, Shashikant Shinde, and Jayant Patil. It was also agreed that while Ajit Pawar would lead the party nationally, the Maharashtra unit president would come from the Sharad Pawar camp. Several other state-level organisational roles were to follow the same formula.

Why BJP approval mattered and what happens next

Publicly, Sharad Pawar has said Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis had no role in the merger talks. Party sources, however, tell a different story.

They insist that without consultations with the BJP, the merger could not have been completed.

The BJP leads the National Democratic Alliance at the Centre and heads the Mahayuti government in Maharashtra. Any decision on power-sharing for the Sharad Pawar faction would have required BJP approval.

As part of the roadmap, Ajit Pawar was expected to hold final talks with BJP leaders. That conversation never happened.

His death brought the entire exercise to a sudden stop.

At present, the Sharad Pawar faction remains keen to move ahead. But within the Ajit Pawar group, hesitation has grown. Senior leaders fear that without Ajit Pawar’s authority, their influence in a merged party could weaken. That uncertainty, sources say, is now slowing any further movement.