Raut Predicts Defections From Sunetra Pawar-Led NCP as Merger Talk Resurfaces

Merger talk revives defection claims

Renewed discussion about reuniting the two Nationalist Congress Party factions has brought fresh predictions of upheaval. Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut said on Wednesday that somewhere between 20 and 22 legislators aligned with Sunetra Pawar could leave her group at any time. He told reporters that the recent visits by NCP lawmakers to Sharad Pawar, the founder of the NCP(SP), should not be read as simple courtesy calls.

Questions over what a merger would mean

Raut argued that if the rebel legislators returned to Sharad Pawar’s organisation, that would not qualify as a merger at all. He suggested another possibility: that they might align with a different party before the next elections. He also said that since the death of Ajit Pawar, NCP legislators had been left in a subordinate position, which he described in harsh terms.

The remarks came a day after Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said no merger could proceed without first consulting the BJP. Raut rejected that condition as irrelevant to Sharad Pawar’s party.

Gokul Dairy election sparks criticism

Raut also turned his attention to the Gokul Dairy board in Kolhapur, a milk cooperative. Rajesh Patil, an NCP leader contesting as a candidate of the ruling Mahayuti alliance, was elected chairman on Tuesday. His victory followed the state government’s decision to nominate four extra directors with voting rights to the board. Raut said the outcome reversed last month’s board vote, in which a panel backed by Congress MLC Satej Patil had won a majority. He accused Mahayuti ministers of resorting to low tactics and cautioned that political fortunes can shift.

Fadnavis had earlier said the government’s support was for the dairy as an institution rather than for any individual. Raut countered that a law creating government-nominated seats would not have been necessary under that stance.

Background

The NCP has been split into two factions, one led by Sunetra Pawar and the other by Sharad Pawar. Raut’s claims about further defections have not been independently confirmed, and no official response from the Sunetra Pawar camp is included in the reports. Whether any merger talks advance will depend on the positions of both factions and the BJP, as Fadnavis has indicated.

What next

Attention will likely focus on whether any of the legislators Raut named take concrete steps to switch allegiance, and on how the Gokul Dairy result is challenged or accepted. Both issues are likely to shape the political discussion in Maharashtra ahead of the coming polls.