NCP rift over leadership: about half the MLAs said to back Sunetra Pawar as seniors voice discontent

Mumbai: Several political developments have been under way in Maharashtra for some days. Amid them, there is talk of an intensified internal conflict in the Sunetra Pawar faction of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) over who should lead the party and what its future will be.

After the death of former Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, responsibility for the party passed to Deputy Chief Minister Sunetra Pawar. She now faces a twofold challenge: to ease the discontent of senior leaders while keeping her hold on the organisation. Amid the differences in the party, it is said that nearly half the MLAs are on Sunetra Pawar's side. This has given a new turn to the discussions on a change of leadership and a battle for dominance.

Meanwhile, senior NCP leaders Praful Patel, state president Sunil Tatkare, Chhagan Bhujbal, Dhananjay Munde, Hasan Mushrif and Dilip Walse-Patil met Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Delhi. Sunetra Pawar and her son Parth Pawar were not present at the meeting, which fuelled political speculation. According to sources, these senior leaders expressed unhappiness over the party's present functioning, the style of leadership and the structure of the organisation.

Rohit Pawar, MLA of the Sharad Pawar faction of the NCP, has made serious allegations over all this. He claimed that the leaders who troubled Ajit Pawar earlier are now plotting against Sunetra and Parth. Rohit Pawar said these leaders have shown their true colours again and have begun efforts to sideline Sunetra and Parth in the party.

Without naming Praful Patel, Sunil Tatkare and Dhananjay Munde, Rohit Pawar alleged that these leaders are trying to take control of Sunetra's party. He said one of them wants to become a minister at the Centre, while another wants to become finance minister in the Mahayuti government. He also claimed that although Sunetra has experience in the social sector, her experience in politics is limited, and other leaders in the party are exploiting this. That is why efforts are being made to sideline her, he claimed.

According to Rohit Pawar, all the leaders who met Amit Shah in Delhi were given opportunities and raised to prominence by Sharad Pawar, but later betrayed him. Ajit Pawar then formed a new party along with these leaders. However, Rohit Pawar claimed that except for Chhagan Bhujbal and Hasan Mushrif, the remaining leaders troubled Ajit Pawar. He said Ajit Pawar himself had told him this.

Overall, there is talk of growing differences in the NCP over the party's leadership, control of the organisation and its future. All eyes are now on how the balance is struck between the support of half the MLAs and the discontent of the senior leaders.