PUNE: NCP (SP) working president Supriya Sule on Thursday ruled out any merger between the Sharad Pawar-led NCP and the rival party led by the late Ajit Pawar, saying she had decided to “draw the curtains” on the issue following her cousin’s death and had received no fresh merger proposal.Supriya’s remarks come amid renewed efforts by several NCP seniors to revive merger discussions and speculation over possible rapprochement between the two parties. On Wednesday, NCP president Sunetra Pawar declined to clarify the possibility of a merger between the two NCPs, saying matters would become clear at the appropriate time.“Discussions on the merger were on when Ajit Pawar was alive, and the entire world knew about them. A video of one such meeting held on Jan 17 was also circulated in the media,” Supriya said.“The day my cousin died, and following the developments that unfolded a few days after his death, I decided to draw the curtains on the issue of merger. I do not think I should speak much on the topic. It ended with my cousin’s death,” she said.After Ajit Pawar’s death in a plane crash on Jan 28, senior leaders of his party had denied holding any meetings with the Sharad Pawar-led party to discuss a merger. However, state NCP president Sunil Tatkare recently said he was aware of the talks and claimed that the merger would have taken place had Ajit Pawar been alive.Tatkare and state minister Hasan Mushrif on Thursday said they would soon meet Sharad Pawar in Mumbai, fuelling further speculation about efforts to bring the two parties together.“I will meet Pawar Saheb to enquire about his health when I visit Mumbai. He is our mentor, and I do not think there is anything wrong with any member of our party meeting him for personal reasons,” Tatkare said.On the merger issue, Mushrif said the decision would be taken by his party chief, Sunetra Pawar. “We will abide by the decision Sunetra Pawar takes on the merger,” he said.Responding to Shiv Sena neta Sanjay Shirsat’s suggestion that a third faction could emerge in NCP, Mushrif said attempts were being made to weaken the party after Ajit Pawar’s death. Mushrif added that he would approach deputy CM Eknath Shinde and urge him to caution members of his party (Shiv Sena) against targeting NCP.
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