Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) National Spokesperson Umesh Patil on Wednesday flagged concerns over the merger of NCP and NCP-SP, saying no one speaks about which faction’s candidates be fielded during elections and also the choice of office bearers in case the factions are united.

Speaking to media, Patil acknowledged that circumstances have certainly changed after the passing away of former Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister late Ajit Pawar, who was also the NCP Chief.

However, he said that the current NCP Chief Sunetra Pawar is effectively handling the role of the Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister and strengthening the organisation.

Noting that the news of NCP’s merger keep resurfacing every now and then, the NCP Spokesperson said: “But if there is to be a merger, how exactly will it happen? In Maharashtra, there are 78 organisational districts. Both factions of NCP have 78 district presidents. If a merger takes place, whose district president will remain in office and who will be removed? How will those removed be accommodated? What formula will be followed?”

Umesh Patil recalled that in the 2024 Lok Sabha and Assembly elections, both factions of the NCP had contested against each other in almost every constituency, while saying: “Those who won are confident that they will receive the party ticket in 2029. Even those who lost believe they will get another opportunity from their faction. But if the two parties become one, then what will the defeated candidates think?”

“The winning candidate will obviously be given the ticket again, and preparations are already underway. The others may have no other option except to leave the party,” he added.

Expressing concern, the NCP leader said that while everyone talks about a merger, no one explains how it will actually be implemented.

“What will happen to leaders, their workers, and their supporters? In the same constituency, these people have been fighting against each other,” Patil added.

Citing an example, the NCP spokesperson said: “In Islampur, Jayant Patil won from the NCP-SP faction, while our candidate, Nishikant Patil, lost by around 12,000 to 13,000 votes. He is already preparing for the next election. If the parties merge, that seat will naturally go to Jayant Patil. Then what will Nishikant Patil do? How will we ensure justice for him after a merger? What options will remain for him?”

Adding to his concern, Patil said that even if such adjustments can be made in a few places, how can this be managed across in every district, every Assembly constituency, and every Lok Sabha constituency in Maharashtra, where the two factions are essentially each other’s opposition?

He also questioned that who will become the Maharashtra NCP President in case of a merger, while also questioning the future roles of NCP-SP Chief Sharad Pawar and senior leaders like Supriya Sule and Rohit Pawar.

“Will it be someone from the trumpet (NCP-SP) faction or the clock faction (NCP)? What will happen to the position of national president? What role will Pawar ‘Saheb’ (Sharad Pawar) play? What role will Supriya Sule play? What about Rohit Pawar? There are many such issues,” Patil said.

Meanwhile, NCP MP and party’s Maharashtra unit president Sunil Tatkare on Monday clarified that the issue of party merger is completely closed, emphasising that the party’s primary focus is on strengthening its organisation and working collectively under the leadership of party president and Deputy CM Sunetra Pawar.

Mumbai: Addressing a press conference held at the Mumbai Marathi Patrakar Sangh, Abu Asim Azmi—the Maharashtra State President of the Samajwadi Party and a Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA)—sharply criticized the central government’s proposed ‘Uniform Civil Code’ (UCC). He alleged that the UCC bill is not, in fact, a ‘Uniform Civil Code,’ but rather a ‘Control Code’ imposed by the government. During the press conference, Azmi questioned the deadline set for submitting objections and suggestions regarding the UCC bill. He argued that the current deadline—November 15—is insufficient and demanded that it be extended. Commenting further on the process, Azmi noted that citizens are being asked about their caste and religion when submitting their suggestions. Moreover, he pointed out that the questions included in the process are framed inappropriately. It is due to these irregularities and flawed methods that committee member Ashish Chauhan has resigned from the committee. Accusing the government of employing double standards regarding civil rights, Azmi stated, “When it comes to civil rights, the government is focusing its actions solely on matters related to religion.”

AIMIM President Asaduddin Owaisi on Wednesday invoked the victory of Democratic candidate Abdul El-Sayed in the US, to call for building a Muslim political identity in Uttar Pradesh, saying an Abdul will now become a leader in the state.

“An ‘Abdul’ has won in Michigan; now, the ‘Abdul’ of Uttar Pradesh must strengthen his own political identity,” Owaisi posted on X.

He was reacting to the mid-term election results in the United States where Abdul El-Sayed won the Michigan Senate race to become the first Muslim US senator.

The Hyderabad MP said ‘Sanghis’ made many attempts to make mockery of the name “Abdul”.

“The time has come for us to demonstrate that ‘Abdul’ bows in servitude to no one but Allah. We will no longer be the ones laying out carpets for others,” he said.

Owaisi also spoke on the issue during an interaction with the media at his party’s headquarters Darussalam here.

“BJP used to say ‘Abdul makes puncture’. We are saying Abdul will now become leader. He will not lay carpets nor be scared of the RSS nor bow before anybody. Abdul will do his job and become a leader,” he said.

Owaisi slammed the BJP government at the Centre for telling the Delhi High Court that the century-old Qadeemi Masjid, located within the Krishi Bhawan compound in New Delhi, must be removed to make way for the redevelopment of Common Central Secretariat (CCS) under the Central Vista project.

The MP stated that when the construction of Lutyens’ Delhi started in 1908, several villages were acquired but these mosques were not acquired.

“This mosque is a part of cultural and historical heritage of the country. It was built even before Krishi Bhavan. This is registered Waqf. The government is not its owner,” he said.

The MP said Union Minorities Welfare Minister Kiren Rijiju should tell these people that the government is not the owner. He said the mosque existed even before Delhi became the national Capital and the Constitution of India was framed.

“If you want to contest that this is government property, go to the Waqf tribunal and argue there. What do you want to do. It is registered Waqf. There is gazette. You are saying it is the property of Krishi Bhavan. It’s not the property of Krishi Bhavan,” he said.

He slammed the Centre for its argument that the mosque is “impermissible and incompatible with the secular character of government property”.

“Is this your secularism that you want to demolish a registered Waqf property which enjoys legal protection,” he asked.

Owaisi recalled that the Modi government inaugurated the Central Vista project with a Bhoomi Pooja. “Apparently, secularism is not offended by the use of one faith’s rituals for a public project, but is allergic to a mosque that has stood there even before 1912, long before Krishi Bhawan was even built,” he said.

“What will Amit Shah say now,” asked Owaisi when his reaction was sought on Hyderabad District Election Officer R.V. Karnan’s statement that no illegal immigrants were found in Hyderabad’s electoral rolls.

He recalled the statements of BJP leaders that surgical strikes will be conducted on Hyderabad.

He said that the poor suffered a lot because of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise.

Owaisi said AIMIM helped all eligible voters, irrespective of their religion, during the SIR process.