Talks of a possible merger of the two factions of the Nationalist Congress Party are gaining traction amid calls for Sunetra Pawar to be inducted in the Mahayuti government, as a deputy chief minister to replace her husband, Ajit Pawar, who died in an air crash in Baramati on Wednesday.

Narhari Zirwal and Pramod Hindurao, two close aides of the late Ajit dada (as the younger Pawar was known), have demanded that Sunetra, a Rajya Sabha MP, be made the deputy chief minister to honour the legacy of her late husband, who had served in the same rank for different chief ministers from both the Congress and the BJP camps.

NCP working president Praful Patel held a meeting with Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis in Mumbai on Friday.

“He was our leader and the deputy chief minister of Maharashtra. We need to fill the position soon. A decision will be taken only after consulting the Pawar family,” Patel told newspersons.

It was not immediately clear whether Patel meant only the late Ajit Pawar’s immediate family, his wife and sons Parth and Jay, or also that of his uncle.

The Sharad Pawar camp went all-out to pitch for a unification of the two parties as “desired” by the late Ajit Pawar.

“Ajit Pawar wanted a merger to happen. Jayant Patil also held meetings. We will decide after the local body polls. Both factions need to come together as per Ajit dada’s wish. This was his final wish so steps should be taken accordingly,” said Anil Deshmukh, NCP(SP) leader and former home minister of Maharashtra.

In the just concluded civic body polls across Maharashtra, both the factions had joined hands against the BJP but could not prevent a rout. Despite the electoral setback, the heads of both the factions had decided on contesting the upcoming zilla parishad polls together.

A senior NCP (SP) leader told PTI that talks had reached an advanced stage between the two top leaders.

“The process of bringing the family and the party back together was already in motion. Ajit dada himself had several rounds of discussions with the senior leaders to bridge the gap,” a source told PTI.

Elections to 12 silla parishads and 125 panchayat samitis are scheduled to be held on February 5. Sources claimed February 8 was decided as a tentative date of merger.

On January 16, leaders of the Sharad Pawar faction had met at the residence of party MLA Jayant Patil. The following day a meeting was held at Pawar senior’s house.

As the deputy chief minister, Ajit Pawar handled the key portfolios of finance, planning, excise and youth affairs.

The Ajit Pawar-led faction had retained the NCP name and symbol ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. In the 2024 Maharashtra Assembly polls, the NCP as part of the BJP-led Mahayuti had managed 41 seats.

For the two factions to unite, the decision of these 40 lawmakers would be crucial though not binding. Till he split the party in 2023, Ajit Pawar did the bidding of his uncle Sharad Pawar, the Maratha strongman and one of the last old-school political leaders.