Maharashtra Speaker Rahul Narwekar, referring to the recent Election Commission order acknowledging Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar as the leader of the ‘real Nationalist Congress Party,’ rejected petitions seeking the disqualification of 41 MLAs. These MLAs, who rebelled against Sharad Pawar, triggered a split and a power struggle within the NCP. The Speaker argued that since these MLAs constituted the “will of the party” and aligned with Ajit Pawar to form a new government, they could not be disqualified.”I hold that (the) Ajit Pawar-led NCP is the real political party. Ajit Pawar has the legislative majority with 41 MLAs. This is undisputed,” the Speaker said.Meanwhile, power corridors in Maharashtra are abuzz with speculation about a merger of former union minister Sharad Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) with the Congress ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.However, NCP Lok Sabha member Supriya Sule denied the rumour, saying their faction has no plans to merge with any other political party. “Sharad Pawar-led NCP will continue participating in elections as part of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance. Our faction will not merge with any political party,” Sule told the reporters later.
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