NEW DELHI: After speculations over the merger of both the factions of NCP after Ajit Pawar death in a plane crash, Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis said that he was not aware of Ajit Pawar’s talks with his uncle Sharad Pawar.Pointing out that Ajit Pawar shared everything with him, Fadnavis questioned the possibility of talks on NCP merger be finalised without our knowledge.”Can the merger talks be finalised without our knowledge? We are not aware of the February 12 date being claimed as the date for the formal announcement of the merger,” he said.”If Ajit Pawar was working on a merger, would he do so without taking the BJP into confidence? Was he preparing to quit the NDA where he was stable? He shared everything with me,” he added.
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This comes after Sharad Pawar claimed that his nephew and NCP leader Ajit Pawar had finalised February 12 to announce the “merger” between the factions and that the process to merge may now face a roadblock due to the latter’s death.A video of the January 17 meeting between Ajit Pawar and Sharad Pawar has also gone viral on social media.Earlier on Saturday, Ajit Pawar’s wife Sunetra Pawar took oath as the deputy chief minister of Maharashtra and was allotted excise, sports, minority development and Aukaf departments, but not finance and planning which her late husband held. CM Fadnavis currently holds the charge of the crucial finance portfolio and will present the upcoming state budget.Asked about keeping the finance portfolio with himself, Fadnavis said he had spoken to NCP leaders.”I will present the state budget. The budget is not merely about making a speech but involves a series of departmental meetings. Such a big exercise was not immediately possible for Sunetra Pawar, and it is wrong to expect it of her. We will take a call (on the finance portfolio) after the budget session,” he said.Responding to criticism over the haste in the oath-taking of Sunetra Pawar, the chief minister said the NCP would reply to it, adding that decisions are often driven by circumstances. Rajiv Gandhi was sworn in (as prime minister on October 31, 1984) even before Indira Gandhi’s cremation, he noted.In 2023, Ajit Pawar, along with a group of senior leaders, parted ways with Sharad Pawar and joined hands with the BJP and Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena. He had raised objections over Sharad Pawar continuing to lead the party despite his advanced age.Ajit was sworn in as deputy chief minister under the new alliance. The Election Commission later recognised Ajit Pawar’s faction as the legitimate NCP, retaining the ‘clock’ symbol.