'No NCP merger talks': Maharashtra minister Bharne after meeting Sunetra Pawar

NewsIndia News'No NCP merger talks': Maharashtra minister Bharne after meeting Sunetra Pawar 'No NCP merger talks': Maharashtra minister Bharne after meeting Sunetra Pawar Edited by Aastha Jha / TIMESOFINDIA.COM / Nov 13, 2026, 15:08 IST Maharashtra minister Dattatray Bharne denies NCP merger talks at meeting with Sunetra Pawar, says discussion focused on drought situation and constituency work NEW DELHI: There were no talks regarding the merger of the two Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) factions during the meeting of MLAs with deputy chief minister Sunetra Pawar, said maharashtra minister Dattatray Bharne on Friday."There was no party meeting or any political discussion on the merger.

The party has not called any such meeting. Some of us happened to be here and met Sunetra Pawar. The discussion was mainly about the drought situation and the work that needs to be undertaken in our respective constituencies," news agency PTI quoted him as saying.Join conversation InsightfulAgreeDisagreeSkepticalConcerningPromisingWorth ReadingBig Development Ajit Pawar, who was serving as Maharashtra's deputy chief minister, died in a plane crash in January this year.Following his death, his wife Sunetra Pawar took over as the NCP chief and assumed the post of deputy chief minister.

Since then, speculation has persisted over a possible merger between the two NCP factions.The merger discussions gathered momentum last week after several leaders from the Sunetra Pawar-led NCP, including Praful Patel and Parth Pawar, held a meeting with NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar.Sunetra Pawar added to the speculation during a press conference in Baramati two days ago, saying that the situation would become clear at the appropriate time.

Get the latest India News and Live updates. Download the TOI app. Aastha Jha is a writer at The Times of India, covering politics. She also writes on business, global affairs, social issues, with a focus on policy, governance and their impact on everyday lives.

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