Sachchidanand Singh Challenges Sunetra Pawar's Election As NCP President
MUMBAI — The election of Sunetra Pawar as the national president of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) has faced a formal legal challenge from the party's former national secretary, Sachchidanand Singh. The legal notice, which was sent on July 9 and received by the party on Monday, seeks a fresh election and demands that both the presidential election and the revised list of office-bearers be declared null and void.
The legal challenge comes five months after Sunetra Pawar assumed the party's presidency. The transition followed the death of former national president Ajit Pawar in a plane crash near Baramati on January 28.
According to the seven-page notice, national working president Praful Patel was constitutionally mandated to officiate as president until an election was conducted for the remainder of the term, in line with the party's amended constitution submitted to the Election Commission of India (ECI) on February 16.
Singh’s notice alleges that NCP general secretary Brijmohan Shrivastav bypassed prescribed procedures by passing a resolution on February 18 to set the election in motion. Shrivastav is accused of convening the national convention to elect the new president without the sanction of the officiating head.
The notice has been served to Sunetra Pawar, Praful Patel, and Brijmohan Shrivastav. It gives the party leadership 15 days to address the grievances, failing which Singh has threatened to take the matter to court. Notably, both Singh and Shrivastav were left out of the newly revised National Working Committee (NWC) after Sunetra Pawar took charge.
NCP spokesperson Suraj Chavan strongly rejected the allegations, stating that the election process strictly adhered to the party's constitution and ECI guidelines. Chavan dismissed the challenge as an attempt to create a sensation, maintaining that delegates had unanimously elected Sunetra Pawar.
However, the legal notice arrives amid acknowledged internal friction. On Monday, Praful Patel publicly admitted to growing unease within the organization, noting that it has been difficult to fill the vacuum left by Ajit Pawar and stating that the party needs to take corrective measures.
