NCP senior leaders meet Amit Shah in Delhi; Tatkare says no discontent in party

Several changes are visible in Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) politics after the death of Ajit Pawar. The party is led by Sunetra Pawar, but Parth Pawar's growing say in organisational decisions has become a talking point. Political circles are also watching what role experienced leaders such as Praful Patel, Chhagan Bhujbal, Sunil Tatkare and Dilip Walse Patil will play. The question being raised is whether a tussle for power is really under way in the party or whether these are only differences within the organisation.

After Ajit Pawar's death, the party faced the question of leadership. Sunetra Pawar has taken charge as Deputy Chief Minister and national president of the party. Even so, there is talk that Parth Pawar's influence on organisational decisions is growing. Some sources allege that senior leaders are not being taken into confidence over new appointments and changes in the organisation.

It is reported that senior members of the core committee were not consulted when MLA Zeeshan Siddique was made Mumbai president and Umesh Patil was made national chief spokesperson, and that resentment was expressed over this. Earlier, too, a consensus was expected in the choice of the youth wing president and the women's wing president. There is talk that Parth Pawar took decisions without taking senior leaders into confidence.

Against this background, Praful Patel, Chhagan Bhujbal, Sunil Tatkare, Dilip Walse Patil, Hasan Mushrif, Dhananjay Munde and Sameer Bhujbal met Amit Shah in Delhi. Notably, Sunetra Pawar and Parth Pawar were not part of the delegation. This raised questions about the party's internal equations.

According to sources, the Finance portfolio also came up at the meeting. Ajit Pawar held the state's Finance Department. After his death, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis took it over. After Sunetra Pawar became Deputy Chief Minister, party leaders expected the NCP to get the Finance portfolio back, but it is still with the Chief Minister. Getting the Finance Ministry back in the coming Cabinet reshuffle is said to be the senior leaders' main demand.

Earlier, on October 25, the party's core committee met in Mumbai at Devgiri, Ajit Pawar's official residence. The demand for the Finance portfolio is said to have been discussed there as well. After the meeting, Chhagan Bhujbal had clarified that there had been no official discussion on a merger of the two Nationalist Congress parties. He had also said there was consensus in the party on regaining the Finance Ministry.

Talk of a possible merger of Sharad Pawar's NCP and Ajit Pawar's NCP has been going on for some time. Prime Minister Narendra Modi's proposed visit to Baramati has given these discussions added importance. It is learnt that some senior leaders of the party do not want the two parties to unite. There is talk that some leaders fear that if a merger happens, the Pawar family's dominance in the party will grow and the importance of the senior leaders who now play an influential role could diminish. If the two factions come together, the NDA at the Centre could get the support of the Sharad Pawar faction's 8 MPs, so the role of the BJP's central leadership will be important. It is reported that core committee leaders told Amit Shah they do not want the two parties to unite.

Resentment is also said to exist over the NCP's withdrawal from the Maharashtra Legislative Council's Pune graduates' constituency election. The seat is considered a traditional stronghold of the party. Many leaders wanted to contest, but it was decided not to field a candidate. Sharad Pawar's NCP benefited and won the seat. There is talk that some senior leaders suspect whether the Ajit Pawar faction left the field as part of a strategy of indirectly helping the Sharad Pawar faction.

On the other hand, speaking to the media after the core committee meeting, Sunil Tatkare dismissed reports of discontent in the party. He said there was no resentment in the party and that the meeting discussed the working of the organisation, upcoming programmes and the drought situation in the state. Asked about the merger, Tatkare said the matter was now closed. According to him, both Sharad Pawar's party and his own party have made their positions clear on it.

National chief spokesperson Umesh Patil said the meeting with Amit Shah had been scheduled in advance and was formal. He claimed that reports of Sunetra Pawar and Parth Pawar being deliberately kept out were wrong. He said some political forces were creating an atmosphere of discord in the party. According to Umesh Patil, the NCP under Sunetra Pawar's leadership is united and is an important part of the Mahayuti.

Sources said that at the core committee meeting the position taken was that future political and organisational decisions should be made only after consulting experienced leaders. According to sources, Parth Pawar and Jay Pawar have given an assurance that decisions will now be taken in coordination with the senior leaders. On one side is Parth Pawar's growing influence, on the other the political weight of leaders such as Patel, Bhujbal, Tatkare and Walse Patil, and on the third the question of possible equations with the Sharad Pawar faction.

These developments are not limited to leadership. They may also affect the party's decision-making process, its share in the Cabinet and its future political direction. However, since the party's official leadership has denied any resentment or factionalism, much of what is emerging is based on information from sources and political talk. The coming Cabinet reshuffle, the party's appointments and the future roles of the two Nationalist parties will decide how the picture shapes up.