As Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Sunetra Pawar formally took charge as the NCP national president Thursday, succeeding her late husband Ajit Pawar, the writing was on the wall – that the NCP and the Sharad Pawar-led NCP (SP) factions are unlikely to reconcile their differences and make a decisive move towards their merger.By asserting that the new NCP president’s appointment marked the beginning of “Sunetra parva (era)”, the party brass claims to have conveyed a message that they would not “buckle” under the Sharad Pawar faction’s “pulls and pressures”. Instead, Sunetra would drive the organisation on her own terms, taking forward the political legacy and ideology of Ajit Pawar.AdvertisementSome questions arising out of this development are: Why the NCP appears to have turned its back on the NCP(SP) now, and whether “Sunetra parva” has signalled a political challenge to the NCP(SP) leadership? Also, what would be the ramifications of such a development in Maharashtra’s political landscape?At the NCP conclave in Mumbai, Sunetra kept her first address to party workers as its president simple, promising to leave no stone unturned to fulfill the objectives of Ajit, and reiterating her commitment to his secular credentials founded on the ideology of reformers Rajarshi Shahu, Jyotirao Phule and B R Ambedkar. As she took centrestage at the event against the backdrop of a huge poster of Ajit, she sought to strike an emotional chord. While she sought to display firmness, she also appeared to be anguished.Heat on PawarWhat came as a surprise to many within the NCP was the aggressive tone and tenor of its senior leaders at the conclave, mainly directed against Pawar, as they drew a clear line separating the two factions.AdvertisementSenior NCP leader Praful Patel minced no words as he attacked the NCP (SP), asking “How can they dictate how we should run our party?”Another senior NCP leader Chhagan Bhujbal, the state Cabinet minister, said, “Even before Ajit Pawar’s final rites were performed they (NCP-SP) had started talking about a merger. Why such a hurry? They started politics, which made the NCP expedite the process of Sunetra Pawar’s swearing-in (as Depuy CM). Now, what right do they have to ask questions of Sunetra Pawar and the NCP?”Targeting Pawar, state NCP chief Sunil Tatkare said, “In 2004 (Assembly polls), when the undivided NCP emerged as the single-largest party, Ajit Pawar could have become the CM. By conceding the CM post to the Congress, we denied the CM role to an able leader Ajit dada.”Besides these assertions, the announcement of Parth Pawar, Ajit and Sunetra’s oldest son, as the NCP candidate for the Rajya Sabha polls in March, has consolidated the Sunetra family’s leadership in the party. Apart from being a key constituent of the ruling BJP-led Mahayuti, the NCP has enough MLAs to elect Parth to the Upper House.In contrast, Pawar’s own continuance as a Rajya Sabha member relies on the collective decision of the Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA). Given that the NCP(SP) has only 10 MLAs, without the Shiv Sena (UBT)’s 20 and the Congress 16 legislators, the NCP (SP) would not be able to retain Pawar’s Rajya Sabha seat.With all 40 NCP MLAs and its lone Lok Sabha MP rallying behind Sunetra, it is evident that the party reckons that being a Mahayuti partner will allow its leader to remain in power during its entire term.Uncertainty amid riftsYet, uncertainty continues to grip the NCP. As several party faces ask: “Could the NCP leadership ensure the party’s success in the 2029 Assembly polls?”An NCP minister, who was in favour of the merger, said on condition of anonymity: “On the surface, everything seems calm. But below this calm is unrest. Individuals are worried about how the future will evolve.”“When Sharad Pawar made the decision (in June 1999) to form a separate party, many did not disapprove it as bonds with the Congress were beyond political considerations, which were emotive and spanned generations. Still, a majority of our established leaders decided to join the then newly formed NCP as they trusted the leadership of the great Maratha leader Sharad Pawar,” the minister said.Even when Ajit split the NCP in July 2023, a majority of those who joined his faction made the decision after informing Pawar. “We never made any distinction between Pawar and Ajit. For us two separate parties were only on paper. We always knew differences were an outcome of circumstances and we would merge sooner rather than later,” several insiders in both the NCP and NCP(SP) said.But after Ajit Pawar’s untimely demise in a recent plane crash, the hopes of such a merger have been dashed, they said.An NCP(SP) leader, who was privy to the merger talks, said, “While merger talks were at an advanced stage, driven by Ajit, we cannot for sure guess whether Pawar himself would have joined the NDA or not. He may have remained neutral. We don’t know.” “What I know for sure is that Ajit was in a hurry to complete the merger on two counts. He wanted a merger in presence of his mother Ashatai and Pawar to wipe off the stigma of parting with his uncle. Secondly, Ajit believed BJP would finish them if they remained separate,” he added.you may likeAs both sides work out their separate strategies, NCP(SP) MLA Rohit Pawar, Pawar’s grand nephew, countered charges of “desperation” for merger, saying, “Who wants a merger? I have from the first day itself made it clear that we don’t want a merger. What we are fighting for is justice for Ajit Pawar. Shouldn’t the people of Maharashtra know what led to his accident?”With the Opposition camp remaining weakened in the state, the NCP(SP)’s young leaders led by Rohit Pawar seem to sense an opportunity to consolidate themselves as a strong Opposition force.As the feuds between the NCP factions flare again, the BJP is said to believe that its strategy of “disallowing their merger” may become a reality.