Six NCP leaders meet Amit Shah in Delhi; Sunetra and Parth Pawar absent

Six senior leaders of the Ajit Pawar faction of the Nationalist Congress Party met Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Delhi, it has been reported. They were state president Sunil Tatkare, Praful Patel, Hasan Mushrif, Chhagan Bhujbal, Dhananjay Munde and Dilip Walse Patil.

Deputy Chief Minister Sunetra Pawar and Parth Pawar were the only two not present at the meeting, which has set off discussion in political circles. It is speculated that the party's political strategy in Maharashtra and the allocation of portfolios may have been discussed. No official details of what was said at the meeting have emerged yet.

After the Delhi meeting, an important meeting of the NCP core committee will be held in Mumbai at 4 pm on Monday. It has been scheduled at Sunetra Pawar's official residence, 'Devgiri'. The main agenda is likely to be a review of the party's performance after the defeat in the Legislative Council election, an assessment of the organisation's present state, and deciding the next political strategy.

Talk of internal differences in the NCP has been rife since the Legislative Council results. The party's candidate in the Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar graduates' constituency was Satish Chavan, a three-time member of the Council. He was defeated by Pratapsingh Patil, the candidate of the Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar).

After the result, senior leader Praful Patel posted on X that the party needed introspection. Calling the Council election result a clear and urgent warning, he said the party would have to reframe its priorities and improve the organisation to win back public trust.

Deputy Chief Minister and NCP president Sunetra Pawar had earlier responded to the talk of infighting. She had said there were no differences of any kind in the party. She had also said that victory and defeat are part of elections, but that introspection is necessary after a defeat and the party would certainly consider it.

With the meeting with Amit Shah and the core committee meeting in Mumbai ahead, all eyes are now on the political strategy the NCP will chart next.