Is NCP merging with Congress? Both parties deny but buzz won’t stop
According to sources, the merger was to help the Congress claim the post of leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha.
Days after its dismal performance in the Lok Sabha elections, speculation about the merger of Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) with the Congress has created a buzz, even though leaders from both parties have denied the speculation, saying such a thing is not possible in the immediate future.
According to sources, the merger was to help the Congress claim the post of leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha. Congress, with its tally of 52 seats, is falling short of the required number of 55. With five seats won by the NCP, the merger could facilitate the claim for the post. NCP chief Sharad Pawar’s name was also making rounds for the post of leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha, where Congress is the main Opposition party.
Pawar termed the speculation baseless and said that there were no such plans considered by leaders of both the parties.
Nawab Malik, NCP spokesperson, dismissed the talk of merger as mere rumours. State leaders from Congress too refuted any possibility of merger, but reacted cautiously. “There is no reason for such rumours. These types of decisions are discussed at the highest level of leadership and are realised only after due deliberations,” said Congress leader Manikrao Thakre.
“Maharashtra has seen two such moves in the past. Late YB Chavan (Maharashtra’s first chief minister) had returned to Congress after floating a separate outfit. Pawar, who happens to be his protégé, too had floated Congress (S), and had later merged it with the Congress, when Rajiv Gandhi was at the helm. If he does the same in his twilight years of his political life, it won’t be surprising. There is no denying such a merger would strengthen the Congress in several parts of the state,” said a top Congress leader from Maharashtra.
A senior NCP leader said “Pawar is the final authority in the NCP and as a chief of an alliance partner, he can sit next to Sonia Gandhi or Rahul and discuss matters. If he merges the party, he would be one among the seniors. Is it acceptable to him?.”
The merger would also not be easy because of the conflict of interests of the leaders in various regions and even at the state leadership. Political analyst Pratap Asbe said, “Both the parties have their own entity, leadership and constitution. In an old party like Congress, where unanimity among leaders is rarely witnessed, such a significant decision may take months together.”
Meanwhile, NCP has convened a meeting in Mumbai to review the party performance in the elections and chalk out a strategy for the Assembly polls.