From Sharad Pawar's 1999 party formation to 2026 reunion buzz: A look at NCP's journey

The merger speculation has intensified following a series of meetings between senior leaders of the two factions.

Maharashtra minister and Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Shirsat on Sunday said a merger of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and the Sharad Pawar-led NCP (SP) appeared to be in its final stages, adding that the roles of various leaders would soon become clear. His remarks have fuelled fresh speculation about a possible reunion of the two factions, which split in July 2023 after Ajit Pawar broke away from his uncle Sharad Pawar and joined the BJP-led government in Maharashtra.

The merger buzz has gathered pace following a series of meetings involving senior leaders from both factions. (File/PTI)

Speaking to reporters on the occasion of Diwali, Shirsat referred to the recent meeting between Ajit Pawar's son, Parth Pawar, and NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar, saying “political developments” were unfolding. Parth, an NCP general secretary, and other NCP (SP) leaders met Sharad Pawar at his south Mumbai residence on Saturday to enquire about his health following his discharge from hospital.

The latest developments come after a meeting between senior NCP leader Praful Patel and Sharad Pawar at a Mumbai hospital revived speculation about a possible merger. A video of their interaction showed the two leaders discussing a possible meeting after November 10. Meanwhile, NCP state president Sunil Tatkare said the merger of the two factions would have taken place in February this year had Ajit Pawar been alive. The late deputy chief minister, who headed the NCP faction recognised by the Election Commission, died in a plane crash in January.

Here is a timeline of the NCP's political journey, from its formation by Sharad Pawar in 1999 and its electoral successes to the 2023 split, Ajit Pawar's death and the latest merger speculation.

A timeline of its political journey since its inception

• June 10, 1999: Following a fallout with then Congress president Sonia Gandhi over the issue of foreign-born leadership, Sharad Pawar split from the Congress and founded the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP).
• 1999: The NCP joined hands with the Congress to form a coalition government in Maharashtra following the assembly elections. Chhagan Bhujbal, who had switched allegiance to Pawar, was rewarded with the post of deputy chief minister.
• 2004: NCP emerged as the single-largest party in the Maharashtra assembly elections by winning 71 seats. Despite staking a claim to the chief minister's post, the party eventually chose to cede it by taking five additional ministerial berths in the coalition government.
• November 10, 2010: Ajit Pawar, a nephew of Sharad Pawar took oath as deputy chief minister of Maharashtra for the first time. He was subsequently reappointed to the post on December 7, 2012, following the 2009 assembly elections.
• 2014: The Congress-NCP alliance was voted out of power in Maharashtra with the BJP-Shiv Sena combine emerging victorious in the assembly elections.
• November 23, 2019: The first major attempt to split the NCP took place when Ajit Pawar joined hands with the BJP and took oath as Deputy chief minister in a surprise early-morning swearing-in ceremony following the assembly elections. However, unable to secure the support of enough NCP MLAs, his coup failed and he resigned on November 26, bringing the short-lived BJP-Ajit Pawar government to an end.
• November 2019: With the BJP's government formation attempt thwarted, Sharad Pawar stitched together a three-party alliance comprising the NCP, Congress and Shiv Sena, which came to be known as the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA). The government headed by Uddhav Thackeray, eventually collapsed in June 2022 following a rebellion within the Shiv Sena, forcing Thackeray to resign as chief minister.
• July 2, 2023: The NCP split became official when Ajit Pawar broke away with the support of 40 party MLAs and joined the Eknath Shinde-led Mahayuti government as deputy chief minister. The development resulted in the emergence of two rival NCP factions, one led by Ajit Pawar and the other by Sharad Pawar.
• February 2024: The Election Commission of India (ECI) recognised the Ajit Pawar-led faction as the official NCP and allotted it the party name and symbol. The decision was subsequently upheld by Maharashtra Assembly Speaker Rahul Narwekar, who also recognised the Ajit Pawar faction as the real NCP.
• 2024: The NCP suffered a setback in the Lok Sabha elections, winning just one seat while senior Pawar faction bagged 8 seats. However, the party made a strong comeback in the subsequent Maharashtra Assembly elections, winning 41 of the 50 seats it contested.
• January 28, 2026: Ajit Pawar died in a plane crash in Baramati, triggering a leadership crisis within the party. His wife Sunetra Pawar, then a Rajya Sabha member, was elected as the new NCP president and subsequently took oath as deputy chief minister of Maharashtra, succeeding her husband.

NCP merger speculation

The merger buzz has gathered pace following a series of meetings involving senior leaders from both factions. The developments include a meeting between NCP working president Praful Patel and NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar, remarks by Maharashtra NCP president Sunil Tatkare about an earlier merger plan, and visits by Ajit Pawar's son Parth Pawar to his grand-uncle Sharad Pawar. The NCP, though, has denied that formal discussions are underway, HT reported earlier.

Six senior leaders from the Ajit Pawar-led NCP faction, including Praful Patel, Sunil Tatkare, Chhagan Bhujbal, Hasan Mushrif, Dilip Walse Patil and Dhananjay Munde, met Union home minister Amit Shah in Delhi on November 1.

The meeting took place without party president Sunetra Pawar and her sons, Parth and Jay, HT reported earlier. The report said some senior leaders were unhappy with the party's functioning and Parth Pawar's growing influence. While some leaders reportedly favoured exploring a reunion with Sharad Pawar's faction, others denied that a merger was discussed.

The issue came into sharper focus after Praful Patel met Sharad Pawar at Breach Candy Hospital in Mumbai on November 5. A video of their interaction showed the two discussing a possible meeting after November 10.

Patel subsequently said he intended to meet Sharad Pawar at his residence after returning from Gondia, but asked that the proposed meeting not be given any political significance. He also said he had visited the veteran leader to enquire about his health.

Another significant development came on November 6, when Sunil Tatkare said the merger of the two NCP factions would have been formalised on February 12 had Ajit Pawar been alive. According to a PTI report, Tatkare said Ajit Pawar had briefed him about the discussions and the proposed formula for reunification. He added that Ajit Pawar's death in a plane crash on January 28 had halted the process.

The possibility of a merger also drew a response from Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis. On Saturday, he said the NCP and NCP (SP) were independent political parties and would have to decide their own course. He added that the BJP would expect to be consulted if merger discussions were taking place, but neither faction had informed it of any such negotiations, as per PTI.

On November 8, Maharashtra minister and Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Shirsat told reporters that the merger appeared to be in its final stages and that the roles of various leaders would soon become clear.

On November 9, HT reported that Parth Pawar had met Sharad Pawar at his Mumbai residence for the second consecutive day. Praful Patel also reiterated his intention to meet Sharad Pawar after November 10. However, NCP spokesperson Umesh Patil dismissed the merger speculation, saying Parth's visits were personal and related to family gatherings during Diwali. Patel, too, maintained that his proposed meeting should not automatically be interpreted as politically significant.

(With inputs from Faisal Malik)