MUMBAI: Amid reports of internal differences among leaders, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) convened a third meeting in three days—its second core committee meeting, on Wednesday.
insiders said the assembly is being seen as yet another attempt by the party to display a show of strength While the latest meeting was held to press for the early completion of the investigation by the state Criminal Investigation Department (CID) into the death of former NCP president and deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar.
The top leadership did not take up contentious internal issues. The issue came up amid expectations that the SC may soon deliver its verdict in the case concerning the Shiv Sena’s name and symbol. The petition challenged the Election Commission of India’s (ECI) decision to recognise the Ajit Pawar-led rival faction as the real NCP and allot it the party name and symbol. The request for an urgent listing came a day after Maharashtra assembly speaker Rahul Narwekar ruled that the Ajit Pawar faction was the real NCP. Since Sunetra Pawar took over the reins of the party following her husband Ajit Pawar’s death, NCP has been grappling with an internal power struggle. Six senior leaders recently met Union home minister Amit Shah, where they reportedly expressed dissatisfaction with the party leadership’s style of functioning. The meeting took place in the absence of party president Sunetra Pawar and her son, Rajya Sabha MP Parth Pawar, who has been seeking to consolidate his control over the organisation by appointing close aides to key positions.
In February 2024, the Sharad Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (NCP-SP) sought an urgent hearing in the SC.
NCP insiders said party members also discussed taking a delegation to meet chief minister Devendra Fadnavis after Diwali to urge him to expedite the probe. The core committee also discussed the need to prepare for a possible legal battle in the Supreme Court (SC) over the NCP’s name and election symbol, party insiders said.
