Supriya Sule Dismisses Speculations of NCP-Congress Merger

NCP's Stance on Merger with Congress

Supriya Sule, the executive president of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and Lok Sabha MP from Baramati, has firmly rejected rumors regarding a merger with the Congress party. She clarified that there have been no discussions or proposals concerning a merger between the two parties.

During a press interaction in Pune, Sule emphasized that the NCP is not involved in any merger processes. She stated that neither has Congress presented any proposal, nor has her party initiated any steps towards a merger. Sule highlighted that both parties will continue to collaborate as strong allies in the future.

Discussing the cordial relationship between the two parties, Sule mentioned that they regularly communicate on political matters. She noted that during her visits to Delhi, she meets with Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi to discuss various political, social, and economic issues concerning Maharashtra. Additionally, she frequently engages in discussions with Rahul Gandhi on state matters and they work together on several parliamentary committees.

Sule also referred to the close ties between their families, recalling that last month, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi attended her daughter Revati's wedding to businessman Sarang Lakhani in Mumbai, blessing the newlyweds. She reiterated that the NCP and Congress have been allies in the past, are allies today, and will remain allies in the future.

It is noteworthy that Supriya Sule's father, veteran leader Sharad Pawar, founded the NCP in 1999 after separating from Congress. The party faced a split in July 2023 when former Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar joined the ruling Shiv Sena-BJP coalition government. Following this, Ajit Pawar's faction received the party's name and election symbol, while Sharad Pawar's faction became known as NCP (Shivaji Park). Recently, Congress leader Prithviraj Chavan urged regional parties that had separated from Congress to return to their original party to strengthen their ideological stance against rivals.