Parth Pawar's meeting with Sharad Pawar sparks speculation of NCP factions coming together

MUMBAI: Against the backdrop of an Election Commission of India (ECI) reminder notice questioning the appointment of Sunetra Pawar as NCP national president, NCP Rajya Sabha MP and general secretary Parth Pawar on Saturday met NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar in Mumbai.

Key points

• The closed-door session between Sharad Pawar and Parth Pawar was held at Sharad Pawar's Silver Oak residence and lasted almost three hours.
• There are plenty of leaders in India who meet Sharad Pawar as he is one of India's most senior and respected politicians.
• She continued that details of the gathering would be known only to Sharad Pawar and Parth Pawar.
• NCP (SP) Lok Sabha MP Supriya Sule, nevertheless, played down the significance of the gathering.
• The unexpected interaction has triggered speculation regarding a feasible rapprochement between the two NCP factions and whether the Pawar camps could join hands again.

Meanwhile, the closed-door session between Sharad Pawar and Parth Pawar was held at Sharad Pawar's Silver Oak residence and lasted almost three hours.

Notably, the unexpected interaction has triggered speculation regarding a feasible rapprochement between the two NCP factions and whether the Pawar camps could join hands again.

In practice, the session is additionally significant in the context of the ECI's reminder notice to Deputy Chief Minister Sunetra Pawar, asking her to validate her appointment as NCP national president by submitting the resolutions and amendments through which changes were created to the party's constitution. Nevertheless, neither leader shared any official details concerning the session.

Sources remarked the NCP is facing a challenging situation after the ECI's reminder notice.

"If Sunetra Pawar fails to respond to the ECI reminder notice, she may lose the party president's post. Besides, it could jeopardise her and her son's positions in the party. This would be a major setback, and therefore Parth Pawar is seeking the advice of senior Pawar to address the matter. Besides, if this matter is not resolved, a feasible merger of the two NCPs is additionally being discussed, " a source remarked, requesting anonymity.

"There are plenty of leaders in India who meet Sharad Pawar as he is one of India's most senior and respected politicians. Earlier, Praful Patel and Sunil Tatkare additionally met him. So, Parth Pawar additionally met him like other leaders. We should not read too much into such meetings. Political leaders from different parties do meet and discuss various problems, " Sule stated.

Sule additionally stated she had been hearing speculation regarding a merger of the two NCP factions for a long time.

"We have been hearing regarding the merger for a long time in the media, and such reports keep coming up from time to time. We are already working for the individuals and raising their matters. Let the individuals and media discuss it; we are busy with our work, " she stated.

In short, parth Pawar' s meeting with Sharad Pawar sparks speculation of NCP factions coming is the central thread here, and readers can expect follow-up reporting as the picture becomes clearer.