2 minutes of readingFebruary 4, 2026 02:02 pm IST
Nationalist Congress Party (SP) president Sharad Pawar on Wednesday said that Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis had no right to comment on the possible merger of the two NCP factions as he was not part of the discussions.
“Why is Fadnavis taking my name? He was nowhere during the discussions (on the merger). And hence he has no right to talk about it,” Pawar said, interacting with reporters in Baramati. He added that it was late deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar and Jayant Patil of the NCP (SP) who held talks on a possible merger.
Last week, Sharad Pawar had said that both NCPs should announce the merger on February 12. Fadnavis later dismissed NCP (SP) claims that reunification talks were at an advanced stage. “If Ajit Pawar was in talks with the NCP (SP) about a merger, wouldn’t he have informed us? Ajit Pawar used to share everything with me,” Fadnavis had claimed.
Meanwhile, Sharad Pawar said he did not want to talk about Sunetra Pawar taking oath as deputy chief minister of Maharashtra. “She has taken oath… I am happy. Our main goal now is to support each other and move forward. We have not spoken to anyone about the political situation… If Sunetra Pawar comes to meet me, I will happily bless her,” he added.
He also weighed in on speculation that there was sabotage involved in the plane crash that led to Ajit Pawar’s death. “Until I have authentic information, I will not raise unnecessary doubts,” he said, adding that he did not have any information about a monument honoring his nephew.
Sharad Pawar also spoke of missing the Union Budget. “In the last 58 years, I have never missed the Budget. I could not go to Parliament during the Budget presentation due to Ajit Pawar’s tragic accident,” he said.