India, Feb. 3 -- In the evolving narrative of a merger between the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and NCP (SP), senior leaders of the Ajit Pawar-led faction said on Monday that any decision on the matter will be taken when the party's ruling ally, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), is brought on board. The leaders expressed their claim a day after chief minister Devendra Fadnavis rubbished the talks of merger.

Fadnavis had said on Sunday: "NCP takes its own decisions. However, had any such discussion taken place, Ajit dada would have informed me. The party is in power with us as part of Mahayuti."

In an informal interaction with a group of journalists at his residence Silver Oak on Monday, NCP (SP) president Sharad Pawar, responded to ...