Disturbed by repeated overtures from the BJP-Shiv Sena, NCP leaders in the sugar bowl of western Maharashtra, that controls the party’s purse strings, want party chief Sharad Pawar to settle the matter once and for all to avoid confusion in the ranks. In fact, a section of party leaders, led by Kolhapur MP Sadashivrao Mandlik, is openly advocating the party’s merger with the Congress.

“The region has time and again snubbed communal forces and NCP’s hobnobbing with the saffron brigade has disturbed party workers,” said Mandlik, who predicted that the process of NCP’s merger with Congress will gain momentum once the Uttar Pradesh polls results were out. Western Maharashtra’s six districts (Pune, Ahmednagar, Satara, Sangli, Solapur and Kolhapur) account for 26 per cent— 75 seats—in the 288 Assembly seats. In the 2004 elections, the NCP had won 25 seats.

“Party leaders are mentally preparing for the merger,” Mandlik said, adding, “The NCP cannot afford to join hands with BJP-Sena combine as this will shake the party’s base in western Maharashtra.”

With BJP leader L K Advani lauding the Pune pattern as “a significant development” and hinting at scaling up the association to the state and national levels, political circles in the state have been abuzz working out various permutations and combinations that can be tried for the next general elections.

“The Pune pattern where NCP, BJP and Sena came together to keep the Congress out of power has sent out wrong signals. Pawar should announce his stand to avoid any further damage to the party,” said one MLA. “The political credentials of Pawar are already shaky and the BJP-Shiv Sena combine are trying to worsen it.”

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