NCP (SP) rejects Congress merger rumours; Nana Patole claims idea was originally Sharad Pawar’s

Maharashtra Congress leader Nana Patole claimed it was Sharad Pawar who had proposed a merger with the Congress after Ajit Pawar’s rebellion in 2023. (File Photo)Amid speculation over a possible merger between the Congress and the NCP (SP), the Sharad Pawar-led party on Friday denied receiving any such proposal, even as the Congress claimed the idea came from the veteran leader himself—years ago. “No such information has reached me. There is no truth to the news,” Maharashtra NCP (SP) president Shashikant Shinde said on Friday. He added that the NCP (SP) held a meeting in Mumbai on Thursday, where national president Sharad Pawar was present, but no such merger was discussed.Senior NCP (SP) leader Ankush Kakade said the “need of the hour” was for all “Left-leaning parties to come together”. “The recent two or three Assembly elections have brought wisdom to the leaders of all parties. Whether it is Rahul Gandhi, Mamata Banerjee, or anyone else, everyone has been tested. But if we want to save the country’s Constitution and keep a check on those in power, then Left-leaning parties must come together,” he added. Meanwhile, state Congress leader Nana Patole, who has reportedly been summoned to Delhi by the party leadership, claimed it was Sharad Pawar himself who had proposed the merger. “It was an old proposal…sometime after the NCP split,” he said, referring to Ajit Pawar’s rebellion in 2023 when he broke away from the NCP in 2023 and joined hands with the BJP and the Shiv Sena to become a part of the Mahayuti alliance. “However, due to some reason, there was a delay in deciding on it. In view of the current situation in the country and the attempts to end the constitutional system, a process has started wherein secular parties are expected to come together to stop the division of votes and save the Constitution and the country,” Patole said. “Be it Mamata Banerjee or Sharad Pawar, they all feel that secular parties should come together to save the country from the current dispensation,” he added. Mamata Banerjee recently met Congress leader Sonia Gandhi at the latter’s residence in Delhi. TMC sources said the meeting was to discuss coordination among the INDIA bloc parties. Meanwhile, Patole denied reports that he had been summoned to Delhi, clarifying that his visit to the capital was for personal work.