Maha: NCP focuses on consolidation, bridges internal gaps​

Mumbai, March 31 (SocialNews.XYZ) The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) core committee held a marathon meeting on Monday and appealed to party president and Deputy Chief Minister Sunetra Pawar to take leadership on board before drafting important letters concerning party policies or taking major decisions on the party’s roadmap. ​

The committee expressed faith in her leadership and decided to work towards consolidation.​

The trigger for the meeting was Sunetra Pawar’s letter to the Election Commission of India requesting it to disregard any correspondence submitted between January 28 (the date of Ajit Pawar’s plane crash) and her official appointment on February 26. She contested the communication sent to the Election Commission on February 16 by senior leaders Praful Patel and Sunil Tatkare.​

Against this backdrop, the committee, chaired by Sunetra Pawar, met to discuss how to weather the situation and put on a show of unity. The meeting was attended by Praful Patel, Sunil Tatkare, Food and Civil Supply Minister Chhagan Bhujbal, senior legislator Dilip Walse Patil, legislator Dhananjay Munde, and newly elected Rajya Sabha member Parth Pawar, son of Ajit Pawar.​

A source privy to the discussion said Patel and Tatkare firmly stated that decisions regarding the convening of the national convention, Sunetra Pawar’s appointment on February 26, and their election as working president and state party chief, respectively, were in accordance with the party’s Constitution. ​

They expressed displeasure over the haste in sending a letter to the Election Commission, urging it to treat decisions taken between January 28 and February 26 as null and void.​

In the February 16 letter, party chief spokesman Brijmohan Srivastav submitted the amended Constitution to the Election Commission, elaborating on the powers of the president and the working president. Patel and Tatkare, along with other leaders, told Sunetra Pawar she should have taken them on board before sending her communication. ​

They emphasised that the president’s authority had not been undermined during the process and suggested that the only logical option would be to withdraw her letter to avoid further legal complications.​

NCP Chief Spokesman Brijmohan Srivastav said the party leadership was unanimous that everyone should work hand in hand to take forward Ajit Pawar’s legacy without internal differences.​

The meeting concluded with a unanimous view that collective efforts should be made under Sunetra Pawar’s leadership to promote the party’s growth and avoid internal fissures. Ultimately, she assured leaders she would take them along in charting the party’s future path, said a source.​

Meanwhile, Minister Bhujbal suggested that the party should now reach out to Congress and Shiv Sena (UBT), appealing to them not to field candidates but instead support Sunetra Pawar’s unopposed election during the Baramati assembly by-election slated for April 23.​

(Sanjay Jog can be reached at sanjay.j@ians.in)​

Source: IANS