Merger of parties will depend upon LS poll outcome: Prithviraj Chavan

09/05/2024

NASHIK/PUNE: NCP (SCP) chief Sharad Pawar’s “some regional parties could merge with Congress” comment has drawn reactions and counter-reaction from senior politicians in Maharashtra.

While deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis and state BJP president Chandrashekhar Bawankule said Pawar’s own party is likely to merge with Congress after June 4, and it is par for course given the NCP (SCP) chief’s political history, Sharad Pawar’s nephew Ajit Pawar said he is witness to such decisions being taken by his uncle in the past.

Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray, however, said Sharad Pawar’s comments were about “merger of smaller parties with Congress” and pointed out that Shiv Sena (UBT) is not a small party.

Former chief minister and senior Congress leader Prithviraj Chavan, while interacting with media in Pune on Wednesday afternoon, said at least two parties will either merge with other parties or they will diminish.

“We are confident that MVA will get more seats. There will be some parties that will get very little or no success, and after the results of the Lok Sabha polls are announced, one or two parties will either have to merge with other parties or they will be diminished,” Chavan said while refusing to name the parties.

At a rally in the Jalgaon parliamentary constituency on Wednesday, Fadnavis said after the Lok Sabha election, NCP (SCP) and Shiv Sena (UBT) will merge with Congress.

In Jalgaon Fadnavis said Uddhav should remember that Mahayuti is the real well-wisher of the Marathi manoos.

“The Maha Vikas Aghadi coalition is bereft of proper leadership and vision. Rahul Gandhi, Sharad Pawar and Uddhav Thackeray do not have any concrete policies and plans on issues like development, tackling poverty etc. I think the architect of this merger will be NCP (SCP) chief Sharad Pawar,” said Fadnavis.

Fadnavis reminded Uddhav Thackeray his father, late Balasaheb Thackeray, was a fierce critic of Congress. “Sena (UBT) already has an understanding with Congress. After polls, it will take one more step to merge it with Congress. NCP (SCP) chief Sharad Pawar will play a pivotal role in the merger,” said Fadnavis.

Uddhav addressing a rally in Maval on Wednesday evening, said, “While responding to a question, Pawar Saheb mentioned that some small parties will be merged with Congress. Is Shiv Sena (UBT) a small party?” Coming down heavily on chief minister Eknath Shinde and Fadnavis, Uddhav Thackeray said: “It is you who had to steal my father’s name to seek votes.”

Earlier, speaking to the media at Shirpur in Dhule, Fadnavis said Sharad Pawar’s statement about regional parties moving closer to Congress after polls is not new. “In the past, he had severed his ties with Congress and formed separate outfits. But he rejoined Congress. Sharad Pawar’s latest statement means he is unable to run his party and, therefore, wants to merge it with Congress,” said Fadnavis.

State BJP president Chandrashekhar Bawankule too said Sharad Pawar will have no option but to merge his party with Congress.

Bawankule, while interacting with the media in Pune, said “If you look at Pawar’s decision-making since 1977, he has done similar things in the past. He forms a new party and later merges it with another party. When he realizes that his party does not have a bright future, he merges with another one. He will do the same after June 4.”

“What other option is he (Pawar) left with? He already knows that Supriya Sule is losing the election. After June 4, all the three major parties in MVA will be utterly disappointed,” Bawankule said.

Pawar, in an interview to an English daily, had said that after the election, regional parties will move closer to Congress, and some could merge with it. He added that there is no difference between Congress and NCP (SCP).

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