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Union Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal’s remarks astir elder Nationalist Congress Party person Praful Patel being appointed the party’s caller nationalist president created a disturbance successful Maharashtra connected Sunday (February 1, 2026), with Mr. Patel denying it and calling it “completely baseless and factually incorrect.” The station has been vacant since the tragic decease of enactment main Ajit Pawar earlier this week.
Meanwhile, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis refuted seasoned person Sharad Pawar’s claims astir the merger of his faction of the NCP with the faction antecedently headed by his precocious nephew. Mr. Sharad Pawar’s NCP-SP presently sits successful the Opposition, portion the precocious Ajit Pawar’s NCP is portion of the ruling alliance.
Answering a question connected the reallocation of portfolios, Mr. Fadnavis said that helium had kept the concern department, earlier handled by the inferior Pawar, with himself, aft owed consultation with the NCP leadership.
No determination connected NCP main yet
Mr. Praful Patel categorically dismissed Mr. Goyal’s claims successful a societal media post. “The Nationalist Congress Party functions connected antiauthoritarian principles, and immoderate determination of this quality would beryllium taken lone aft owed consultation with elder leaders, MLAs, office-bearers, and by respecting the corporate volition and sentiments of each enactment members. As a nationalist party, the NCP strictly follows established procedures successful specified matters,” helium said connected his X grip connected Sunday (February 1, 2026).
Mr. Goyal aboriginal posted an apology, saying helium had been misinformed by someone.
Several NCP leaders said the determination astir the nationalist president should beryllium taken by Sunetra Pawar, the precocious Pawar’s widow who has replaced him arsenic Maharashtra’s Deputy Chief Minister. Several leaders said she should instrumentality implicit the NCP nationalist president relation arsenic well. Suresh Birasdar, an NCP person from Dharashiv, said the legislators would collectively constitute to Ms. Pawar astir this.
CM scoffs astatine NCP merger rumours
Rumours of NCP reunification continued to swirl successful governmental circles connected Sunday (February 1, 2026). NCP-SP State president Shashikant Shinde reiterated that merger talks had been finalised aft 15 meetings connected the issue, with an announcement to beryllium made aft February 8.
Refuting specified claims, Mr. Fadnavis said helium was not alert of immoderate day of declaration of reunification. “Ajit dada was a portion of the government. The NCP is an autarkic enactment which is simply a portion of the Mahayuti alliance. Could helium person taken specified a determination without informing us? He was unchangeable successful the government. If Ajit Dada was moving connected a merger, would helium bash truthful without taking the BJP into confidence? Was helium preparing to discontinue the NDA wherever helium was stable? He shared everything with me,” helium said, adding that the NCP was a abstracted enactment which took its ain autarkic decisions.
NCP authorities president Sunil Tatkare insisted that determination was nary speech of a merger. “We are with the NDA and a determination has been taken to stay with it permanently. I person not taken immoderate determination without Dada’s consent. Irrespective of who says what, our relation is to transportation guardant the enactment and the ideology fixed by Dada, and we are steadfast connected this stand,” helium said.
NCP-SP MLA and Pawar clan subordinate Rohit Pawar claimed helium knew galore things, but did not privation to speech authorities for 13 days aft Ajit Pawar’s demise.
Sunetra successful Baramati
Ms. Pawar, the recently appointed DCM, near Mumbai connected Sunday (February 1, 2026) to instrumentality to the household location successful Baramati, wherever she volition stay for the adjacent 10 days till the last rituals for her precocious hubby are completed, sources said. She besides visited Katewadi wherever her mother-in-law Asha Pawar is based.
Ajit Pawar’s ineffable ashes were brought into the NCP bureau successful Mumbai connected Sunday (February 1, 2026), with the enactment readying to nonstop 1 asthi kalash (funeral urn) to each district. “Party ministers, MLAs and territory presidents volition organise nationalist darshan, pursuing which the ashes volition beryllium immersed successful rivers successful the respective districts,” Mr. Tatkare said.
Ajit Pawar’s elder lad Parth Pawar besides visited the NCP bureau connected Sunday, entering his father’s compartment and hugging his bare chair. “He was seen sobbing arsenic helium recalled memories of Dada. He aboriginal paid his respects. Women and Child Development Minister Aditi Tatkare besides paid her respects,” the NCP said successful a statement.
