No NDA Entry Without Merger: Sources On BJP's Plan For Sharad Pawar's NCP

Any official alignment of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) with the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) would require the reunification of its two rival factions, sources said, citing senior figures within the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). This development comes amid rumblings of political reunions in Maharashtra, fuelled by recent meetings between leaders from both NCP camps and key figures in the ruling dispensation.The NCP formally divided in July 2023 when Ajit Pawar, along with several senior colleagues, broke away to join the BJP-Shiv Sena government in Maharashtra. The Election Commission (EC) subsequently recognised the Ajit Pawar faction as the legitimate claimant to the party's name and election symbol.The opposing group, headed by the veteran Sharad Pawar, operates as the Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar), commonly referred to as NCP-SP.