NCP Leadership Challenge: Notice To Sunetra Pawar

Mumbai: NCP national secretary Sachchidanand Singh has challenged the election of the NCP national president held on February 26, 2026, by serving a fresh legal notice on Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Sunetra Ajit Pawar. Mr Singh has alleged irregularities in the organisational election process and sought that the esunetralection and consequential filings before the Election Commission be declared void. He has demanded a fresh election in accordance with the party constitution. Meanwhile, senior NCP leader and cabinet minister Chhagan Bhujbal questioned why Sunetra Pawar was being “troubled” by the notice when she had the support of party office-bearers, MPs and MLAs. He also questioned whether Mr Singh wanted to become the party president.

In July, Mr Singh had first served the notice to Ms Pawar, Maharashtra’s first woman Deputy Chief Minister, who was elected NCP national president at the party’s convention in Mumbai on February 26, after the post fell vacant following the demise of her husband, Ajit Pawar, in an air crash on January 28.

Apart from Ms Pawar, Mr Singh, a Jharkhand-based party leader, had also served a legal notice on senior party leader Praful Patel and national general secretary and Election nodal officer Brijmohan Srivastava, alleging that the provisions of the party constitution were not followed during the election. He had sought their response within 15 days. Since the NCP did not respond to the first notice, Mr Singh had sent a second notice to all three leaders on August 17.

An insider in the NCP said that Brajmohan Srivastava had discussed the issue with the party leaders about the first notice. The senior party leaders including Parth Pawar have decided to not reply to the notice and they would deal with the issue. “Since Mr Singh had issued the second notice, he is preparing to drag all three leaders to the Court, if the notice is not responded within a stipulated period of 15 days. It is learnt that Brijmohan Srivastava will respond to the notice,” the insider said.

Responding to a query about the notice, Mr. Bhujbal said he did not understand what mischief was being attempted or why someone was doing it. He questioned whether the person issuing the notice wanted to become the party president.

He said that if the entire party, including its elected representatives and MPs, wanted Sunetra Pawar to be the party president and had voted for her, there was no reason to trouble her by sending such letters. He added that he was not aware of the contents of the letter and would discuss the matter after reaching Mumbai.