NCP leadership moves to quell internal rift; Sunetra Pawar calls for strategic meeting

Mumbai, May 15 In a bid to steady the ship following weeks of internal friction, the top leadership of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) has moved to bridge the widening gap between the party's central hierarchy and its veteran heavyweights.

NCP President Sunetra Pawar, along with newly appointed party General Secretary Parth Pawar and Treasurer Jay Pawar, reached out to senior leaders Praful Patel and Sunil Tatkare on Friday and conveyed them that they will meet soon and deliberate on the functioning of the party organisation and the road ahead.

The high-profile call was intended to signal a unified front and schedule a formal meeting to "take things forward" amid growing discontent over the recent reassignment of organisational duties and responsibilities.

Top NCP sources said that the meeting is expected to take place next week.

"NCP President Sunetra Pawar, her sons Parth and Jay, have reached out to Praful Patel and Sunil Tatkare conveying them to meet soon to decide the party's strategy for consolidation weathering the challenge posed after the untimely demise of former party chief and Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar in the plane crash on January 28 in Baramati."

The proposed meeting is quite crucial as it is happening after the reconstitution of the NCP National Executive wherein party veterans, including Praful Patel, Sunil Tatkare, Chhagan Bhujbal, Dilip Walse Patil, Hasan Mushrif, among others were excluded with the induction of new faces.

The exclusion of these leaders has led the turmoil in the party even though Patel, Tatkare, Bhujbal and Walse Patil were inducted in the newly constituted NCP national working committee.

The NCP has been navigating a turbulent phase since the tragic passing of its former party Chief and Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar in a plane crash earlier this year.

While the transition of power initially appeared seamless -- with Sunetra Pawar being elected the NCP President in February -- underlying tensions have recently surfaced regarding the "concentration of authority" within the Pawar family.

The current controversy stems from a series of internal orders that redistributed key administrative and decision-making powers.

NCP veterans like Praful Patel (party's National Working President) and Sunil Tatkare (Maharashtra NCP Chief) felt sidelined by the rapid ascent of Parth and Jay Pawar into core executive roles.

Praful Patel has been named with a designation of NCP leader in Rajya Sabha but no mention of the party's Working President.

Similarly, Tatkare has been mentioned as the NCP leader in Lok Sabha without the specific mention of his designation as the Maharashtra unit NCP President.

This tension follows earlier allegations by rival factions that certain senior leaders had attempted to amend the party constitution to vest sweeping powers in the NCP Working President's office during the leadership vacuum in January.

Sources close to the development state that the upcoming meeting will focus on defining responsibilities, election readiness and stability.

"The meeting is expected to focus on providing greater clarity on the roles of the General Secretary and Treasurer to ensure they do not overlap with the existing jurisdictions of Praful Patel and Sunil Tatkare. Aligning the party's machinery for the upcoming local body polls and strengthening the MahaYuti alliance will be deliberated extensively. Further, the meeting will address the narrative of "internal rift" which has been frequently highlighted by the Sharad Pawar-led NCP-SP faction. While no official statement was released following the telephonic exchange," a senior NCP functionary remarked.

"The goal is collective leadership. Sunetra Pawar Wahini is committed to taking everyone along, and the involvement of Parth and Jay Pawar is about bringing fresh energy, not replacing experience."

Sources reiterated that scheduled meeting is expected to take place early next week at the NCP headquarters in Mumbai, where a formal roadmap for the party's organisational structure is likely to be finalised.

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