NCP in damage-control mode? Parth Pawar backs Praful Patel, Sunil Tatkare amid talk of Sunetra Pawar unease

The internal rift within the NCP gained traction when Sunetra Pawar shot off a letter to the Election Commission of India asserting her authority.

Mumbai: Amid indications and reports that Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister and NCP national president Sunetra Pawar is upset with Praful Patel and Sunil Tatkare, the party appears to have shifted into damage-control mode, with her son and Rajya Sabha member Parth Pawar asserting that the two veteran leaders continue to guide the organisation.

Patel and Tatkare are the NCP’s national working president and Maharashtra president, respectively.

The internal rift within the NCP gained traction when Sunetra Pawar, wife of the late Ajit Pawar, shot off a letter to the Election Commission of India asserting her authority, even as her nephew and NCP (SP) MLA Rohit Pawar claimed that the Patel–Tatkare duo were attempting to take control of the party.

Ajit Pawar (66), the then Deputy Chief Minister and NCP national president, died on January 28 when a Learjet crashed while landing at the Baramati airfield.

Within three days, his wife Sunetra Pawar (62) was elected NCP legislature party leader and sworn in as Deputy Chief Minister by then Governor Acharya Devvrat on January 31.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis allotted her the State Excise, Sports and Youth Affairs, Minorities Development and Aukaf portfolios, while retaining Finance and Planning, which Ajit Pawar previously held.

On February 10, she formally assumed office at Mantralaya.

On February 26, she was unanimously elected NCP national president.

On March 10, in a letter to the Chief Election Commissioner, Sunetra Pawar wrote: “It is also requested that any correspondence made by any person on behalf of the party in this regard between January 28, 2026 and the date prior to the issuance of this letter may kindly be treated as null and ignored for all official purposes.”

Notably, her letter made no mention of Patel, a Rajya Sabha MP and former Civil Aviaton Minister, or Tatkare, the Lok Sabha MP from Raigad and a former Maharashtra minister.

Earlier this week, when asked about the issue, Tatkare said: “Regarding the letter Sunetra Pawar submitted to the Election Commission, I will not be speaking on that today... It is an internal party matter.”

However, on Thursday, Parth Pawar took to X to issue a clarification even as Sunetra Pawar was in the national capital.

“Baseless reports and speculative narratives targeting Praful Patel ji and Sunil Tatkare ji are nothing but fiction. Their decades of unwavering commitment and leadership continue to guide us all. Dragging such senior leaders into manufactured controversies is deeply unfortunate and must be called out.”

Over the past fortnight, the NCP has also faced a twin crisis involving leaders Rupali Chakankar and Narhari Zirwal.

Chakankar resigned as Maharashtra State Women Commission chairperson and NCP women’s wing president after photos and videos surfaced showing her with self-styled godman Ashok Kharat of Nashik, who has been arrested on charges of sexual assault. In the videos, she was seen praising Kharat.

Meanwhile, Zirwal, the state’s Food and Drug Administration and Special Assistance Minister, faced embarrassment after videos featuring him with a transperson went viral on social media.

In fact, both these issues are being linked to internal bikerings in the party.