Updated On: 05 February, 2026 10:17 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
“Even before the last rites were performed, who started the discussion on a merger?” he asked, indicating that the NCP was not ready to reconsider Ajit Pawar’s 2023 decision to join the BJP-led Mahayuti alliance

The Sharad Pawar-led NCP (SP), which has claimed that Ajit Pawar was keen on a merger, is part of the Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi alliance. Representational Pic
Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) spokesperson Anand Paranjpe on Thursday said those raising merger speculations between rival NCP factions soon after Ajit Pawar’s death must clarify whether they plan to join the BJP-led alliance.
According to the PTI, he said the party was still grieving the loss of its president in an air crash and had not yet come to terms with the shock.