“You will know when the time comes,” Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Sunetra Pawar said on Wednesday when asked about a possible merger between the two Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) factions.Speaking at a press conference in Baramati, Sunetra said she knew reporters were curious about a reunion with Sharad Pawar’s faction. “Today’s press conference is about a different subject. I know all of you are curious about the other issue,” she said.

She did not say whether talks were underway.Amid the merger speculation, Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut claimed that 20 to 22 MLAs from Sunetra’s NCP were considering leaving the party and had been meeting Sharad Pawar.Raut said the MLAs could join Sharad’s party or move to another party before the elections. “They could come back home. I wouldn’t call that a merger,” he said.

BJP minister Ashish Shelar, meawhile, invoked Bhai Dooj when asked about the speculation. “If the brothers and sisters in the Pawar family are coming together, that’s something to be happy about,” he said.WHAT REVIVED THE MERGER BUZZThe NCP split in 2023 when Ajit Pawar broke away from Sharad Pawar and joined Maharashtra’s ruling coalition. Sunetra now leads the NCP, a partner in the BJP-led Mahayuti, while Sharad heads the NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar).

Speculation picked up after senior NCP leader Praful Patel visited Sharad Pawar in a Mumbai hospital on November 5. A video of the visit showed Sharad suggesting they meet after November 10.

Patel said he had gone to ask about Sharad’s health.Parth Pawar also met his grandfather twice in two days at Sharad’s Mumbai home. The visits added to the speculation, even as differences over who would lead a united party remained unresolved.NCP leader Sunil Tatkare said no merger talks were underway at the time, though he maintained that the two sides would have reunited had Ajit Pawar been alive.Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said the decision rested with the two parties and that the BJP-led alliance would be consulted if they decided to go ahead.- Ends(With inputs from Rahul Gaikwad)