By Rahil Nora Chopra
After hinting at barriers before a possible merger between the two NCP factions, the NCP-SP chief Sharad Pawar held a closed-door meeting with the sons of the late Ajit Pawar and later visited the Deputy Chief Minister Sunetra Pawar in Baramati to pay tribute to her late husband. According to sources, discussions centred on the possibility of merger of the two NCP factions and the upcoming Zila Parishad elections. After Ajit Pawar’s death, Sharad Pawar and other leaders of his party have claimed that merger talks were at a final stage and the late deputy CM had finalised February 12 as the date to announce the reunification of the NCP factions. A counterclaim emerged through Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who said that if the merger talks were really in progress, then Ajit Pawar would have shared the details with him. On the other hand, Sharad Pawar said, “Merger discussions were held between Ajit Pawar and Jayant Patil. CM Fadnavis was not involved in the talks. What right did he have to talk about it?” Asked if the merger will take place now, Sharad Pawar said that currently their priority is to extend support to each other and later decide how to go ahead.
CONGRESS DITCHES ALLIANCE WITH LEFT, TO GO SOLO IN COMING BENGAL POLLS
West Bengal is all set for a high‑stakes assembly election with the Congress shutting its door on the CPI(M) in the state by deciding to contest all 294 constituencies in the upcoming Assembly election, citing that the past exercise of co-operating with the Left party has demoralised the cadre. The decision was taken at a prominent meeting of the party’s top brass with senior leaders of the West Bengal Pradesh Congress Committee (WBPCC). The meeting, held at Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge’s 10, Rajaji Marg residence and was attended by Kharge, former party chief Rahul Gandhi, Congress general secretary (organisation) K C Venugopal, state in-charge Ghulam Ahmed Mir, state unit chief Subhankar Sarkar, senior leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury and MP Isha Khan Choudhury, among others. Congress leaders were of the opinion that the alliances haven’t helped and they accused the Left of draining resources and not transferring votes, and also accused the TMC of showing a high-handed attitude, making partnership difficult. In the 2021 West Bengal Assembly polls, the Congress had formed an alliance with the Left Front and failed to attain a single seat.
MAMATA BETS BIG ON RELOADED TARGETED WELFARE SCHEMES FOR 2026 POLLS
As the West Bengal Assembly election 2026 inches closer, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has brought out some big-ticket promises in the ₹4.06 lakh crore interim state budget aimed at shoring up welfare support for gig workers, women and unemployed youths. One of the key announcements has been an increase in the monthly grant under the Lakshmir Bhandar scheme by Rs 500 from February this year, raising the allowance to Rs 1,500 for general category women and Rs 1,700 for SC/ST women. The state has allocated Rs 15,000 crore for the scheme. The move is seen as a biggest welfare measure, significantly for women, who make up nearly half of the state’s voters. The scheme has been a key programme of the Trinamool Congress government. The announcement of the Banglar Yuva Sathi scheme promises Rs 1,500 a month to unemployed youths aged 21 to 40 years for up to five years or until they secure employment, whichever is earlier. The benefits also included a ₹1,000 hike for the socially influential Anganwadi and Asha workers apart from civic volunteers and para-teachers, a ₹4,000 annual dole for landless farm workers, and health insurance for gig workers. In this budget, the state government has announced a 4% DA or Dearness Allowance for state government employees. Retired state government employees will also get this benefit. Once again, Mamata is betting that welfare — front-loaded, personalised and visibly delivered— would trump ideological contestation, turning the election into a referendum not just on governance, but on gratitude.
PARTH PAWAR MAY BE ELECTED TO RAJYA SABHA SOON
The buzz is that Parth Pawar, son of the late Ajit Pawar, is likely to be elected to the Rajya Sabha by the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP). Parth is likely to replace his mother and deputy chief minister Sunetra Pawar as a Member of Parliament (MP) from the upper house. Sunetra, who has replaced her deceased husband Ajit Pawar as deputy chief minister in the Mahayuti alliance government, is expected to give up her seat as Rajya Sabha MP and contest the Baramati by-election, a seat that fell vacant after Ajit Pawar’s death in a plane crash on January 28. Parth has not been active, or successful, in electoral politics. He was defeated in 2019, when he contested the Maval seat in the Lok Sabha elections. Meanwhile, seven Rajya Sabha seats from Maharashtra are scheduled to fall vacant in April 2026. These include seats held by Sharad Pawar, NCP MP Fauzia Khan, RPI (A) chief Ramdas Athawale, BJP’s Dhairyasheel Patil and Bhagwat Karad, Congress MP Rajni Patil, and Shiv Sena UBT’s Priyanka Chaturvedi. According to sources, Parth is said to be particularly interested in Sharad Pawar’s seat because it offers a fresh full-term opportunity. The NCP’s numbers are also seen as sufficient to elect a candidate independently, which could strengthen Parth’s prospects if the party leadership backs him. Observers are closely watching whether Sharad Pawar will endorse Parth’s bid or whether internal family and party divisions will shape the next political chapter. (IPA Service)
Indian Officials Have Negotiated Well With U.S. On The Terms Of Trade Deal 