Senior Nationalist Congress Party leader and Rajya Sabha MP Praful Patel firmly declared on Sunday that his faction will continue to remain part of the BJP-led Mahayuti alliance in Maharashtra, dismissing any speculation of a broader reconciliation with the rival group led by Sharad Pawar. Speaking at NDTV’s Power Play event in Mumbai, Patel emphasised that the party remains committed to working under Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis in the state and Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the Centre, both now and in the future.

The statement comes shortly after the two rival NCP factions—Ajit Pawar’s group and Sharad Pawar’s NCP (SP)—announced a limited electoral tie-up for the upcoming January 15 municipal elections in Pune, Pimpri-Chinchwad, and Parbhani. Despite this temporary arrangement for local polls, Patel categorically ruled out any shift in the larger political alignment, stating that the core differences between the two sides remain irreconcilable at the state and national levels.

When questioned about the possibility of Supriya Sule or other members from the Sharad Pawar-led NCP (SP) eventually joining the Ajit Pawar faction, Patel offered a measured response. He pointed out that the ideological and political positions of the NCP (SP) frequently diverge from those of the Narendra Modi-led government and the NDA, making any meaningful merger highly unlikely in the foreseeable future. He reiterated that the Ajit Pawar-led NCP remains steadfastly aligned with the NDA.

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Reflecting on the 2023 split in the original NCP founded by Sharad Pawar in 1999, Patel explained that the decision to join the NDA was not taken lightly. He noted that while the senior Pawar and his daughter Supriya Sule were initially part of the same thought process, a subsequent change in their approach led to the divergence. The faction led by Ajit Pawar chose to move forward with the BJP and Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena, a path from which they have no intention of deviating.

Patel concluded by asserting that the Ajit Pawar-led NCP is fully focused on its current trajectory within the Mahayuti alliance. He made it clear that any future reconciliation would depend entirely on the other side choosing to realign with the NDA’s vision and leadership, while his group remains committed to its present course without any plans to alter its political direction.

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