Nationalist Congress Party (NCP)-SP chief Sharad Pawar on Tuesday hinted that his party’s doors remain open for those MLAs who defected to nephew Ajit Pawar’s camp leading to a split in the party. Speaking to the media, the veteran NCP leader said those MLAs who would help to strengthen the organisation or had not hurt the party’s image would be taken in.

“Those who wanted to weaken the party would not be taken in. But those leaders who would help strengthen the organisation and not hurt the image of the party would be taken in,” Pawar said.

“However, that too will happen after having a word with the party (NCP-SP) leaders and workers,” he added.

Sharad Pawar clarified that his nephew, Maharashtra’s Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, would not be welcomed back into the NCP fold. Ajit’s faction currently aligns with the ruling Mahayuti coalition, which includes the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Chief Minister Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena.

The NCP split in July 2023 when Ajit Pawar and several MLAs joined the BJP-Shiv Sena government. In February, the Election Commission of India recognised Ajit Pawar’s faction as the real NCP and allotted it the iconic “clock” symbol.

Speculation about potential returns to Sharad Pawar’s camp has intensified following Ajit Pawar’s faction’s disappointing performance in the 2024 general elections. Ajit Pawar’s NCP secured only one seat out of four contested in Maharashtra, whereas Sharad Pawar’s NCP won eight out of ten seats it contested.

The ruling Mahayuti coalition collectively won 17 of the 48 seats in the state, with the BJP winning nine and Shinde’s Sena faction bagging seven.

Ajit Pawar’s camp was reportedly upset over being offered the Minister of State (Mos) berth in the current NDA government. Praful Patel turned down the offer saying it would be a demotion for him as he had served as a Cabinet minister in the Union government earlier.

Speculations of MLAs returning to Sharad Pawar’s camp are also significant ahead of the state assembly elections in October 2024.

The opposition Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA), of which NCP-SP is a part, affirmed their intention to contest the upcoming assembly elections jointly.

NCP-SP leader Rohit Pawar claimed that 18 to 19 MLAs from Ajit Pawar’s NCP are expected to defect after the forthcoming monsoon session of the state legislature.

Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray had already ruled out the possibility of accepting leaders who had defected to chief minister Eknath Shinde’s faction.

(With ANI inputs)