Putting an emphatic full stop to days of intense political speculation across Maharashtra, Nationalist Congress Party – Sharadchandra Pawar (NCP-SP) working president and Baramati Member of Parliament Supriya Sule on Thursday, November 12, 2026, categorically ruled out any ongoing discussions regarding a reunification between the two rival NCP factions. Speaking to reporters in New Delhi, Sule stated that no merger proposal had been placed before her and asserted that for her personally, the chapter of bringing the two parties back together closed the very day her late cousin and former Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar passed away.
Across political corridors in Mumbai, Pune, Baramati, Nagpur, and Nashik, rumors of an imminent rapprochement between the Sharad Pawar-led NCP (SP) and the NCP faction now led by Deputy Chief Minister Sunetra Pawar had gained fresh momentum over the past week following a string of high-profile family and political meetings. Responding directly to those reports, Sule clarified that she could speak definitively for herself and emphasized that no formal or informal communication regarding a merger had reached her.
Emotional Reflection on Ajit Pawar and the January 17 Govindbagh Talks
Addressing questions from the media with visible emotion, Supriya Sule acknowledged that reunification talks had indeed taken place prior to Ajit Pawar’s untimely demise—noting that Ajit Pawar himself had reached out to her and senior party colleagues to explore bringing the divided party together. She pointed out that video footage of their discussion at the family residence Govindbagh in Baramati on January 17, 2026is already in the public domain and was never concealed from the media or party workers.
However, Sule explained that the political and emotional landscape altered permanently following Ajit Pawar’s death and the developments that unfolded in the days immediately afterward. “The day my brother passed away—and given what transpired over the next two to four days—I personally drew the curtains on that matter,” Sule stated. “While Dada was with us, there were discussions and everyone knew what we were considering. Once my brother was gone, the merger issue ended for me then and there. Since then, I have received no proposal from anyone, nor has anyone spoken to me about it—so I honestly do not know what merger is being discussed.”
Why Speculation Surged: Parth Pawar and Praful Patel’s Meetings With Sharad Pawar
The fresh wave of merger speculation in Maharashtra’s political circles had been triggered by several recent interactions involving senior figures from both camps. Earlier in the week, Parth Pawar—Ajit Pawar’s son—visited Sharad Pawar’s residence twice within two days, while senior NCP leader Dust Patel also met the veteran patriarch. Around the same time, NCP state president Sunil Tatkare had remarked that had Ajit Pawar been alive, the two factions might have merged back in February—though he maintained that any future decision rested solely with Sunetra Pawar and Sharad Pawar. Meanwhile, Sunetra Pawar had offered a measured response earlier, saying things would become clear in due course.
Downplaying the political significance of leaders calling on Sharad Pawar, Supriya Sule noted that courtesy visits to the senior statesman have remained routine ever since the NCP split in July 2023. “Even after the party divided, numerous MLAs, ministers, and leaders across political lines have continued meeting Pawar Saheb,” Sule observed. “There is nothing new or unusual about people meeting him.”
Sule Refuses to Comment on NCP Leaders’ Meeting With Amit Shah
When reporters pressed Supriya Sule for her reaction to recent meetings in New Delhi between prominent leaders of the Sunetra Pawar-led NCP faction and Union Home Minister Amit Shahthe Baramati MP declined to be drawn into commentary. Framing the development strictly as the internal affair of another political party, she maintained a firm boundary.
“What happens inside their party is entirely their internal matter,” Sule said. “Why should I peek into someone else’s house? Who meets whom, when, and for what purpose is their personal and organizational decision, and I will not comment on it.” With Sule’s unambiguous remarks on record, the immediate prospect of an institutional merger between the two NCP factions appears firmly off the table, even as Maharashtra’s political observers continue tracking the evolving equations within the Pawar family and state coalition politics.