Mumbai, February 14 Leaders of the NCP and NCP (SP) on Saturday intensified their attacks on each other regarding the merger process of the two factions, as well as an article written about Ajit Pawar, who died in a plane crash on January 28.
While NCP leader Anand Paranjpe demanded an apology for the article, claiming it defamed Pawar even after his death, the NCP (SP) state unit chief Shashikant Shinde, who incidentally wrote the article in the party mouthpiece 'Rashtravadi', said the merger issue had been resolved by the Sharad Pawar-led outfit.
The final decision on a merger was to be made after the local body elections, and the framework was to be decided through discussions, Shinde told reporters.
There is no point in discussing the possible merger of the two parties now, as "there is no leader left to hold discussions" (since Ajit Pawar's death), Shinde added.
"The issue has been resolved by the NCP (SP)," Shinde asserted.
Shinde said that a perception was being created that his faction was aggressively pushing for a merger, which was not correct, and maintained that the party had now decided to focus on rebuilding itself.
Referring to his article, Shinde said he had not claimed that Ajit Pawar made a mistake. "I only said he wanted to rectify the division of the party," the NCP (SP) MLC clarified.
Meanwhile, Nationalist Congress Party spokesperson Anand Paranjpe condemned Shinde's article and sought an apology on behalf of the deceased leader's family.
The article contained "false and misleading" claims about the circumstances in which Ajit Pawar left the undivided NCP, he said.
"Attempts are being made to malign his image even after his demise. An apology must be tendered to Deputy Chief Minister Sunetra Pawar and her family members. Party workers will give a befitting reply to these allegations," Paranjpe said.
In a tribute published in the February 2026 edition of party magazine 'Rashtravadi', Shinde had claimed "manoeuvres by invisible forces, threats, and a web of false allegations" created a situation that compelled Ajit Pawar to step out of the parent organisation, leading to the split in the Sharad Pawar-founded party.
Rejecting claims that Ajit Pawar left the party due to "conspiracies or pressure", Paranjpe said the former had consistently advocated an alliance with the BJP during internal discussions over the years.
Paranjpe criticised the timing of merger talks raised by NCP (SP) soon after Ajit Pawar's death, calling it politically insensitive.
He reiterated that party leaders Praful Patel and Sunil Tatkare have already clarified that the issue of merger is not on the party agenda at present.
The bitter exchange comes amid tensions between the two factions following Ajit Pawar's demise, with both sides taking differing positions on the issue of reunification and the legacy of the late leader.
Senior NCP leader and state minister Chhagan Bhujbal wondered what is the need to have a merger discussion on a daily basis.
"Sunetra Pawar is now the Deputy CM and will soon be the NCP national president. She will discuss the matter and take a call," he said.
Bhujbal slammed the daily speculation related to merger talks.
"When Sunetra Pawar was sworn in as deputy Cm, there was criticism about the haste. Why is there a haste in talking about the merger," Bhujbal questioned.