'Sharad Pawar under pressure from party MLAs to join NDA'

A late-night meeting between leaders from both factions of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has reignited speculation over a possible political realignment in the state.

Senior journalists tracking Maharashtra politics said the developments suggest that Sharad Pawar is under growing pressure from his own MLAs and MPs to join the BJP-led alliance in the state. They also, however, drove home the point that the veteran leader is "the most unpredictable politician that Maharashtra has ever seen".

The Federal spoke to senior journalists Rohit Chandrawarkar and Vivek Deshpande, along with political analyst and Shiv Sena (UBT) spokesperson Kishore Tiwari, on Capital Beat to understand whether Maharashtra is heading towards another political rebellion or a reunion of the two NCP factions within the NDA.

Sunetra Pawar's elevation as party chief challenged

The discussion began with the developments inside the Ajit Pawar-led NCP following the death of Ajit Pawar six months ago. The panel noted that while his wife, Sunetra Pawar, was elevated as party chief and deputy chief minister to ensure continuity, dissent has now surfaced within the organisation.

The immediate trigger was the party's national secretary Sachidanand Singh questioning the process through which Sunetra Pawar became the party president. Singh has termed her appointment as "illegal", "non-existent", and "void", raising fresh questions over the internal stability of the party.

Also Read: Sharad Pawar rejects defection rumours, says no NCP (SP) MP will join rival faction

At the same time, uncertainty has deepened within the Sharad Pawar-led NCP amid reports that the BJP is exploring support from the veteran leader's MPs during the upcoming Parliament session. The backdrop has inevitably fuelled speculation over whether Maharashtra could witness another split similar to the one seen in the Shiv Sena.

Late-night meetings

Chandrawarkar described Maharashtra's political landscape as one filled with speculation, saying multiple developments are unfolding simultaneously without any official confirmation.

According to him, several MLAs and MPs from the Sharad Pawar faction have independently established communication channels with BJP leaders in Maharashtra and Delhi after concluding that the party's electoral prospects have weakened considerably. He pointed to the Sharad Pawar faction's poor performance in the recently-concluded municipal and Zilla Parishad elections as one of the key reasons behind growing unease among legislators.

Another important factor, Chandrawarkar said, is the widespread perception that Opposition legislators have struggled to secure development funds from the state government. Referring to the recent defection of six Shiv Sena (UBT) MPs, he said many legislators believe remaining in the Opposition has made constituency development increasingly difficult and their future as politicians uncertain.

He also referred to recent meetings involving senior NCP leaders, including Jayant Patil's interactions with BJP national general secretary Vinod Tawde and later with Chief Minister Fadnavis. While Jayant Patil publicly maintained that his meeting with the chief minister concerned a local issue in his constituency, Chandrawarkar said that few political observers in Maharashtra accepted that explanation.

Will Sharad Pawar retire from politics?

According to Chandrawarkar, discussions within the Sharad Pawar faction have increasingly centred on whether remaining outside the NDA is a politically viable option for them. He said a recent meeting attended by nine of the party's 10 MLAs reportedly saw unanimous support for aligning with the BJP-led alliance. Similarly, he claimed that five of the party's eight Lok Sabha MPs are believed to favour joining the NDA.

At the same time, he pointed to recent press conferences by Supriya Sule and Jayant Patil denying reports of an imminent alliance, while acknowledging that support for certain legislation, including the proposed delimitation Bill, could be considered under specific conditions.

Also Read: Sharad Pawar’s politics of betrayal ended by BJP’s poll win: Shah

Despite these denials, Chandrawarkar reminded that Maharashtra politics has repeatedly produced unexpected political shifts, citing Ajit Pawar's own public assurances before his 2023 split from the undivided NCP. He argued that the uncertainty surrounding Sharad Pawar has become more pronounced because pressure is now coming not only from political rivals but also from within his own legislative ranks.

He wondered whether Sharad Pawar would be prepared to make compromises at this stage of his career after spending 60 years in politics, and felt the 85-year-old politician may decide to announce his retirement from politics instead.

Finance portfolio, Rohit Pawar's plans

Following Ajit Pawar's death, Chief Minister Fadnavis assumed charge of the Finance department during the crucial Budget period. Chandrawarkar said there is now intense speculation over whether the portfolio could eventually return to the NCP or be handed to Jayant Patil if he joins the NDA.

He also referred to reports suggesting that Fadnavis has been in contact with Jayant Patil for several months, projecting him as an influential Maratha leader from western Maharashtra.

Also Read: ‘Just a courtesy call,’ clarifies Sule after Sena (UBT) fumes over Pawar-Shinde meet

Simultaneously, leaders from the Ajit Pawar faction — including Sunetra Pawar, Praful Patel, and Sunil Tatkare — are also believed to have sought the restoration of the Finance portfolio to their camp. According to Chandrawarkar, these negotiations may explain the series of political meetings taking place behind closed doors.

While stressing that no official announcement has been made, he said many insiders believe that a broad political understanding has already been reached and that negotiations are now focused on ministerial portfolios and power-sharing arrangements.

He also raised another unresolved question — what role Rohit Pawar may eventually choose to play, given his consistent criticism of the BJP, reports that he has remained absent from key internal strategy meetings, and whether he would decide to join the Congress since he is reported to have met Rahul Gandhi.

'Opposition-mukt Maharashtra?'

Senior journalist Deshpande said discussions about the reunion of the two NCP factions had begun even before Ajit Pawar's death and that the possibility of a merger had remained alive for several months. According to him, if the Sharad Pawar faction joins the BJP-led NDA, the two NCP groups would eventually have to reconcile their differences because they cannot continue fighting each other while remaining partners in the same ruling coalition.

Deshpande argued that the developments should be viewed in the context of what he described as the BJP's "larger game" of expanding its footprint by absorbing regional parties and making India a single-party system. He suggested Maharashtra could become the first major state where the opposition space shrinks dramatically, leaving the Congress as the principal opposition party.

Also Read: After Ajit Pawar's death, is NCP merger possible? | Talking Sense With Srini

Responding to a question on whether Maharashtra is heading towards becoming an "Opposition-free" state, Deshpande said the present political trajectory certainly points in that direction. However, he added that leaders in the Sharad Pawar camp may also view joining the NDA as a political survival strategy rather than an ideological shift.

According to him, some leaders may believe that remaining politically relevant within the ruling alliance offers a better chance of long-term survival than remaining in the opposition. At the same time, he cautioned that once regional parties enter the NDA, reclaiming their independent political identity could become increasingly difficult.

'Weakening of regional parties'

Tiwari claimed that reports suggesting several MLAs from both the Sharad Pawar faction and the Shiv Sena (UBT) could eventually join the ruling alliance have become a major talking point across the state. However, he argued that while legislators may switch political sides, public anger over issues such as unemployment, the agrarian crisis, and poverty continues to remain strong.

He maintained that the Opposition has failed to effectively mobilise public opinion around these governance issues and has instead remained distracted by political developments.

Tiwari also expressed concern over what he described as the weakening of regional parties across the country. He suggested that while legislative arithmetic may increasingly favour the ruling alliance, electoral politics could still be influenced by public sentiment in the years ahead.

Sharad Pawar's dilemma

Returning to the central question of the discussion, Chandrawarkar said the political uncertainty surrounding Sharad Pawar has become unprecedented. He noted that although Jayant Patil and Supriya Sule publicly denied reports of an imminent alliance with the BJP after their respective press conferences, political observers in Mumbai remain unconvinced because of the sequence of meetings involving senior leaders from both NCP factions and Fadnavis.

Chandrawarkar questioned why Jayant Patil would first meet Sharad Pawar before visiting the chief minister if the discussion was only about a constituency-related issue. He also pointed to the simultaneous presence of senior NCP leaders from the rival faction at the chief minister's residence as another factor fuelling speculation.

Also Read: Another Sena breakaway? Six MPs push Uddhav to the brink

He further claimed that BJP insiders believe the party is more interested in inducting Sharad Pawar's legislators than the veteran leader himself. According to Chandrawarkar, there is also speculation that the BJP leadership has set an informal timeline for legislators wishing to join the NDA.

The journalist also referred to internal discussions within the Congress, claiming some leaders believe Sharad Pawar's entry into the party would not significantly improve its electoral prospects in Maharashtra. Taken together, he argued that these developments have left the veteran politician in one of the most politically-challenging phases of his six-decade career.

Waiting for clarity

Despite the intense speculation, all three panellists agreed that no formal political decision had yet been announced. While negotiations may be underway, they stressed that Maharashtra politics has repeatedly produced unexpected outcomes and cautioned against drawing definitive conclusions before an official statement is made.

The panel concluded that the days leading up to the Monsoon Session of Parliament could prove crucial, with political observers closely watching whether the Sharad Pawar faction formally aligns with the BJP-led NDA, whether the two NCP factions reunite, or whether the current uncertainty continues.

For now, Maharashtra remains in the middle of a fast-moving political churn, with late-night meetings, public denials, and internal negotiations ensuring that every development is being watched closely for signs of the state's next major political realignment.