Sunetra Pawar rallies NCP MLAs in Mumbai after Delhi meeting with Amit Shah

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Sunetra Pawar, who leads the Nationalist Congress Party, met around 50 party legislators and ministers at her Mumbai residence, Deogiri, on Tuesday. The group publicly backed her as the party's leader. The meeting came two days after senior NCP figures met Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Delhi without her.

Pawar told the room she expects the party to win more seats in 2029. She said the NCP is united and will work to fulfil the dreams of her late husband, Ajit Pawar. Her sons, Parth and Jay, attended. Parth did not speak.

Mumbai NCP president Zeeshan Siddique told PTI that everyone present said the party stands united under her. He said she will lead the NCP in 2029. He added that Ajit Pawar had started a weekly habit of meeting MLAs, and the party will now continue it. Siddique said it will also help clear up any misunderstandings.

Pawar asked ministers to make time for party legislators on development work in their constituencies and on organisational matters. A party office-bearer said talks also covered strengthening the organisation and preparing for more than a dozen Zilla Parishad elections. Legislators raised the finance portfolio, which the party has demanded be returned to it. Pawar also asked MLAs to visit drought-hit areas in their constituencies.

The timing drew attention. On Sunday, Praful Patel, Sunil Tatkare, Dilip Walse Patil, Hasan Mushrif, Chhagan Bhujbal and Dhananjay Munde met Shah in Delhi. A party leader said the aim was to improve coordination between the NCP and its Mahayuti allies.

Tatkare, the state NCP president, said on Monday that Ajit Pawar used to meet MLAs every Tuesday, but the routine had lapsed for a while. He said the party decided to meet before Diwali.

Sunetra Pawar became NCP president after Ajit Pawar died in a plane crash on January 28 this year. For voters, the show of unity matters because the NCP is a key partner in the state government, and its internal cohesion shapes how the alliance handles portfolios and local elections.

Source: Rediff

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