Hyderabad, Nov. 7 -- Whether the two Nationalist Congress Parties-the one led by Sharad Pawar and the breakaway group that Ajit Pawar spearheaded-would merge is a question that continues to be in the realm of speculation. It will likely get clearer after the proposed meeting between the elder Maratha and Praful Patel, now the Ajit Pawar-led party's working president, on November 10.

The idea of a merger, if it prevails, may have emanated not from any emotional reasons-politics is almost invariably a game where emotions are not a strong driver-but from the inability of the party to manage its internal affairs. In the absence of a strong leader like Sharad Pawar, who was the flock's fountain head, with every other person being a happy and ...