Mumbai, Jan. 31 -- Senior leader of the Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar faction), Jayant Patil, has made a major revelation about the party's efforts to merge with another faction, citing the late Ajit Pawar's insistence on unity. Patil, who has been leading the merger talks, stated that he had taken the consent of all party members before proceeding with the discussions.

He claimed that Ajit Pawar had assured him of the support of all his MLAs in the event of a merger. "He used to say repeatedly, 'Out of my 40 MLAs, 39, or even all 40, will vote exactly as I say. One or two may express opinions here and there, but no one will take a stand different from mine," Patil quoted Ajit Pawar as saying.

Patil emphasised that the...