Cracks in NCP (SP)? Three leaders meet Ajit Pawar, Devendra Fadnavis

Mumbai: After managing to win just 10 of the 87 seats it contested in the Maharashtra assembly elections, the Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) could face further setbacks in the form of defections.

On Monday, two former NCP (SP) MLAs, Rahul Jagtap (Shrigonda constituency) and Mansing Naik (Shirala constituency), met Ajit Pawar, who heads the NCP faction that’s part of the ruling Mahayuti government, leading to speculation that they are likely to join his party. Meanwhile, NCP (SP) MP from Bhiwandi, Suresh Mhatre, met senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Devendra Fadnavis, setting more tongues wagging in political circles.

In the run-up to the assembly polls, several MLAs and leaders joined the NCP (SP) following its encouraging performance in the Lok Sabha elections, where it won eight seats. But their expectations fell flat as the party faced a drubbing in the assembly polls along with its two allies, the Congress and the Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray). The three parties together won just 46 seats out of the 288-member assembly.

Jagtap and Naik remained tight-lipped about their respective meetings with Ajit Pawar, who is likely to become the deputy chief minister again in the second term of the Mahayuti government. NCP insiders claimed that they wanted to join the party. “They are not alone; many leaders who left us or didn’t join us during the split are looking to join us,” said an NCP leader, requesting anonymity.

Jagtap’s rebellion follows the NCP (SP) conceding the Shrigonda seat to the Shiv Sena (UBT) in the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi’s seat-sharing pact. Jagtap then contested the election as an independent candidate, finishing second behind the BJP’s Vikram Pachpute by a margin of 37,156 votes.

Naik was one of the MLAs who remained loyal to Sharad Pawar during the NCP split in 2023, despite the Ajit Pawar-led NCP trying to convince him to join their side. He was also one of the NCP (SP) candidates who got a courtesy call from Ajit Pawar after they lost the polls. Naik lost to the BJP’s Satyajit Deshmukh by 22,689 votes.

Meanwhile, Bhiwandi MP Mhatre met Fadnavis at Sagar Bungalow, the latter’s official residence as deputy chief minister. Fadnavis is widely tipped to become Maharashtra’s next chief minister.

While all three NCP (SP) leaders were not available for comment, party MLA Rohit Pawar denied that his colleagues planned to jump ship. “Suresh Mhatre may have gone to meet Devendra Fadnavis to discuss issues such as the rising crime rate and women’s security. We will have to wait to know his side of the story,” he said. “It is wrong to say that our leaders are contacting the ruling parties. To be in power, if someone mistakenly did so, then Maharashtra will soon turn into Bihar,” he added.