India, Feb. 4 -- Nationalist Congress Party (SP) chief Sharad Pawar on Wednesday said Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis was never part of the discussions on the merger of the two NCP factions and therefore had no right to comment on the issue.

Speaking to reporters in Baramati, Pawar said the merger talks were being led by NCP (SP) leader Jayant Patil and his nephew, NCP chief Ajit Pawar, who died in a plane crash in Pune district on January 28.

Following Ajit Pawar's death, leaders of the Sharad Pawar-led party had claimed that reunification talks between the rival factions were at an advanced stage and that Ajit Pawar had finalised February 12 as the date to announce the merger. However, Chief Minister Fadnavis later said t...