In a significant statement, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader and Lok Sabha MP Sunil Tatkare has clarified that any potential move for the party to join the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) would be a decision taken solely by party patriarch Sharad Pawar. Tatkare, who is the Maharashtra unit chief of the NCP, made these remarks on Wednesday, January 8, 2026, during the 'Loksatta Loksamvad' program in Mumbai.
The Power of Decision Rests with Pawar
Tatkare emphasized that while his faction has formed a local alliance with Sharad Pawar's NCP for the upcoming Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation elections, its status as a constituent of the NDA remains unchanged. He stated that the strategic choice to contest these civic polls independently, in consultation with Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and the Mahayuti, was aimed at leaving no political space for the opposition. However, he drew a clear line, asserting that this local electoral understanding should not be misinterpreted as a larger political merger or a shift in the NCP's fundamental stance.
Revisiting History: The 1999 NDA Overture
In a revealing historical anecdote, Tatkare claimed that discussions about the NCP joining the NDA are not new. He pointed to 1999, the year Sharad Pawar was expelled from the Congress after raising concerns about Sonia Gandhi's foreign origins. Following the assembly elections that year, where neither the Congress nor the NCP secured a full majority, then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee reportedly approached Pawar with a proposal to form a government in Maharashtra with the NDA's support.
"I do not know why Sharad Pawar did not accept it, as I was a second-tier leader at that time," Tatkare admitted. "But it is my feeling that we should have joined the NDA back then." This disclosure adds a new layer to the long and complex political relationship between Pawar and the BJP-led alliance.
Post-Poll Sweetness After Current Bitterness
Addressing the visible friction and public spats within the ruling Mahayuti alliance during the current campaign, Tatkare projected optimism for a post-election reconciliation. He cited the example of the Kalyan-Dombivli Municipal Corporation election, where Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde had expressed frustration but matters were later smoothed over.
"Even now, despite the allegations, everything will be settled, and after the results on January 16, we will sit together, share Tilgul, and sweeten our relations," he said, predicting that the internal tensions would resolve once the polls conclude.
Tatkare concluded by downplaying the challenge from the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), suggesting the real contest is within the Mahayuti itself. He expressed confidence that the alliance would replicate its success from the Municipality-Nagar Panchayat elections, where it won 80 percent of the seats, in the ongoing Municipal Corporation polls.
