00:00Let's quickly move on. There's a fair amount of buzz in the state of Maharashtra. Is there a
00:04possible merger coming in with the two NCP factions? Speculation began when Profil Patel
00:09met Sharad Pawar at the hospital while leaders called in for a courtesy visit. It's all set off
00:15a fresh round of merger talk. Since then, a series of meetings between leaders from both camps have
00:20kept the speculation alive. Sources say the road to a merger may not be smooth. Supriya Suley
00:26reportedly opposed to the move given that Ajit Pawar led NCP is an NDA ally. But there's
00:31more because today Sunitra Pawar, the widow of Ajit Pawar, was asked about the merger and
00:36she said time will tell. So once again, speculations rife. Listen in and we'll bring in our consulting
00:43editor Rajdeep Sardasai for more.
01:12All right. If it's politics, especially Maharashtra politics, who better than Rajdeep Sardasai in the studio with us. So Rajdeep,
01:20what's really going on in Maharashtra?
01:22Well, what is going on is what can be best described as pressure power or pressure power politics. The merger
01:33is frankly,
01:34Preeti, a red herring being used by those within the NCP Ajit Pawar to put pressure on Sunitra Pawar, Deputy
01:44Chief Minister Maharashtra and her son,
01:46Parth Pawar, to become, to be more accommodative in their leadership style. You see, there is a rebellion brewing within
01:55the NCP Ajit Pawar senior leaders like
01:58Praful Patel, who you saw a short while ago speaking to Sharath Pawar in hospital, Sunil Tatkare and others. They
02:05feel that Ajit Pawar's son,
02:07Parth Pawar, ever since Ajit Pawar passed away, has been trying to take control of the party and he is
02:14in no position to actually do so.
02:16They don't believe he is qualified to do so and therefore are using the merger card to put pressure on
02:27Sunitra and Parth Pawar to accommodate them.
02:30That's all that's going on. All these visuals that are coming out of Praful Patel going to meet Sharath Pawar,
02:36the buzz that there's going to be a merger is frankly only designed to put pressure
02:40because it's very clear, Supriya Sule, Preeti has made it clear more than once. NCP Sharath Pawar is not joining
02:48hands with the NDA.
02:49The NCP Ajit Pawar is desperate to stay within the NDA. So where is the question of a merger? This
02:54is a power play or power play taking place in Maharashtra
02:58and a jockeying for positioning within the NCP Ajit Pawar at the moment primarily. I'm not saying that there are
03:06not, there are leaders within the NCP Sharath Pawar who also want to switch and join hands with the NDA.
03:12So far Supriya Sule and Sharath Pawar have managed to control the rebellion within and they've used someone close to
03:19the Prime Minister to ensure that that happens.
03:24But whether they will be able to retain their flock, we'll have to wait and see.
03:29What explains Rajdeep? Then Sunitra Pawar coming out, she had an option of completely bearing the question but says time
03:36will tell. We'll know in time whether there's a merger or not.
03:38You see, unfortunately in Maharashtra you have to read between the lines. Time will tell is all very well.
03:45Sunitra Pawar and her son are desperate to retain control of the NCP Ajit Pawar. Sunitra Pawar is Deputy Chief
03:52Minister and therefore she knows that if tomorrow the parties were to merge,
03:59she would perhaps lose the Deputy Chief Ministership or she will be subservient then to a Sharath Pawar or a
04:06Supriya Sule from the other side.
04:07So she's desperate to retain her flock and she's hoping that the BJP will also back her because the BJP
04:16is in two minds.
04:17The central BJP, particularly Prime Minister Modi, is keen that Sharath Pawar joined the fold, the NDA fold.
04:23But the state unit of the BJP doesn't want to have anything to do with a merged entity like the
04:29NCP because they fear that will diminish their hold, particularly in Western Maharashtra.
04:34So it's complicated. But at the same time, as I said, a lot of it is, you know, smoke with
04:43very little fire.
04:44Is there also a sense that all's not well between the Congress and the NCP Sharath Pawar, especially after the
04:51MLC elections?
04:53Not really. I mean, maybe in Maharashtra, yes, to an extent. I think the NCP feels that the Congress has
05:00not got its act together.
05:01They do not see the Congress leadership as effective enough in Maharashtra.
05:05But at the center, it was interesting that all the visuals, if you saw during the Ram Leela Maidan rally,
05:12other road shows against SIR, Supriya Sule was right there next to Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Wadra.
05:19So she has clearly hitched her bandwagon in a way to the India alliance.
05:23Her own party men, particularly in Maharashtra, would prefer a number of them would prefer to go with the NDA
05:30because that's where power is.
05:32So, yes, in that sense, you could argue that the NCP Sharath Pawar is in two minds.
05:41Delhi thinks differently. Mumbai thinks differently. But until Sharath Pawar himself, when you saw his frail condition out there, gives
05:48a nod to this merger, it's not going to happen.
05:52And from my sources at the moment, it isn't likely to happen in the immediate future.
05:58I won't even say time will tell. I'm saying it's not going to happen in the immediate future.
06:03But Rajdeep, one final question, because if there is a state that is known to throw up the unlikeliest alliances,
06:09it's the state of Maharashtra.
06:11And it's happened one time too many. So, yes, Sharath Pawar has never really aligned with the BJP, but can
06:18be really never say never.
06:19You can never say never in politics, given you're absolutely right what has happened in Maharashtra over the last few
06:24years.
06:25But, and there is this power play that takes place between Amit Shah at the centre and Sharath Pawar in
06:32Maharashtra.
06:33And it's been going on for a while, ever since in 2019, Sharath Pawar at the last moment decided to
06:38go with the India Alliance and not with the NDA.
06:42So, there is all that power play going on. But I still don't see a merger taking place right away.
06:50Because both the factions of the NCP are still trying to protect their own flock first.
06:56The rebellion within the NCP Ajit Pawar of the senior leaders against Sunetra's leadership on the one side and those
07:03within the NCP Sharath Pawar who want to join hands with the NDA.
07:07They are both trying to jostle for space at this moment. So, I don't see any major step towards a
07:13merger happening in the near future.
07:16Well, thank you Rajdeep for joining us and giving us all that gyan. With it, I'm going to leave you
07:20with a little bit more of politics.
