Congress Merger or NDA Pivot? NCP (SP) At Crossroads As Internal Rift Widens in Sharad Pawar’s Faction

New Delhi: The Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) is currently navigating a period of internal transition and strategic uncertainty, with reports emerging of two distinct ideological camps forming within the party regarding its future alignment.

According to party insiders, the current political landscape has triggered a debate over whether the organization should consolidate its position by merging with the Congress or, alternatively, pivot toward the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), stated reports.

Strategic Divisions

The debate within the party currently centers on two primary schools of thought regarding its future political trajectory. 

The first, described as the ‘Merger Proposition,’ sees a faction advocating for a formal merger with the Indian National Congress and proponents of this view argue that such an alignment would provide a more stable platform to address the party’s current political requirements while effectively consolidating opposition strength. 

Conversely, the second group advocates for an ‘NDA Alignment,’ contending that given the party’s current legislative standing- particularly regarding its number of MPs- seeking an alliance with the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) represents a more pragmatic path forward. 

Supporters of this approach emphasise that joining the ruling coalition would offer significantly better avenues for maintaining political relevance and securing the necessary resource access to address both constituency-related issues and regional development needs.

Context of Reconciliation

The discourse surrounding these potential realignments takes place against the backdrop of earlier, now-stalled efforts to reunify the two factions of the NCP. 

Before his untimely passing in a tragic aircraft accident in January 2026, the late Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar had reportedly expressed a desire to maintain an alliance with the NDA following a potential reconciliation of the two factions.

While formal discussions on reunifying the party have taken a back seat in recent months, the pro-NDA faction within the Sharadchandra Pawar camp maintains that there should be no structural or ideological barriers to exploring an alignment with the ruling coalition, should the opportunity arise.

Sharad Pawar rules out split

Sharad Pawar on Thursday expressed confidence in his party's unity and loyalty, stating that while Shiv Sena (UBT) MPs have split, none of the MPs of his party will break away.

Addressing reporters here, Pawar said, "Shiv Sena UBT MPs have split, none of our MPs will split."

His assertion comes in reponse to speculations that NCP (SP) MPs and MLAs are in contact with the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP).

This follows weeks of turmoil for the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT), which saw six of its MPs join the Shiv Sena led by Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.

The Lok Sabha MPs include Sanjay Haribhau Jadhav, Sanjay Dina Patil, Sanjay Uttamrao Deshmukh, Bhausaheb Rajaram Wakchaure, Omprakash Bhupalsingh Nimbalkar and Nagesh Bapurao Patil Ashtikar.

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