NCP Rejects Reports Of Internal Discord

Mumbai: The absence of NCP national president and Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Sunetra Pawar and her son Parth Pawar from the NCP delegation’s meeting with Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday has sparked a debate about an internal rift in the party.

However, NCP National Chief spokesperson Umesh Patil denied any rift in the party and called it mischievous attempts to create an artificial narrative of discord and lack of coordination among its leadership.

Senior senior party leaders - including Praful Patel, Sunil Tatkare, Chhagan Bhujbal, Hasan Mushrif, Dilip Walse-Patil, and Dhananjay Munde - met with Amit Shah in New Delhi. However, party chief Sunetra Pawar and her son Parth Pawar were conspicuous by their absence in the meeting. This comes shortly after Sunetra and Parth had a separate meeting with Shah.

This sparked an intense speculation in political circles about a potential leadership crisis and structural realignment within the NCP. There are reports that the leaders raised serious concerns regarding a ‘lack of collective leadership" under Sunetra Pawar and Parth Pawar. They also expressed concerns saying they felt sidelined by Parth Pawar during recent organisational appointments.

According to sources, senior leaders felt sidelined by Parth Pawar during recent organisational appointments. Parth has been taking decisions on behalf of the party without taking other senior leaders into confidence, making the party’s old guard uneasy.

The talks also triggered rumours that the BJP is exploring a reconciliation or merger between the two fractured wings of the NCP to consolidate the NDA's strength.

However, the party dismissed reports of an internal mutiny. National spokesperson Umesh Patil clarified that the meeting with Amit Shah was formal, routine and pre-scheduled. They maintained that Sunetra Pawar herself had initiated the appointment during her prior visit to Delhi. The party reiterated that it remains entirely unified under the national presidency of Sunetra Pawar.

Patil categorically rejected reports claiming that the meeting had taken place by sidelining Sunetra Pawar and Parth Pawar, calling them entirely false, factually incorrect and misleading.

“Certain forces are unnecessarily politicising the meeting and planting reports to suggest that differences existed within the NCP. The claims baseless and misleading,” he said.

Patil clarified that Sunetra Pawar, along with Parth Pawar, had earlier met Shah and held detailed discussions on various issues confronting the party following the demise of Ajit Pawar.

“During that meeting, Sunetra Pawar had herself informed Shah that a delegation of senior party leaders would be meeting him and had requested him to allot time for the interaction. Senior leaders were well-versed with several important matters from Ajit Pawar’s tenure, issues concerning the interests of Maharashtra and various party-related matters. The meeting was therefore, pre-scheduled and formal,” he said.