Sunetra Pawar Demands Explanation From NCP Leaders Over Meeting With Devendra Fadnavis
Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) National President Sunetra Pawar expressed her displeasure and demanded an explanation from senior party leaders during a meeting at Devgiri, the deputy chief minister’s official residence in Mumbai, on Wednesday. Pawar was reportedly angered after being excluded from the information chain regarding a recent meeting with Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.
The dispute arose after NCP State President Sunil Tatkare and the party's National Working President Praful Patel met with Chief Minister Fadnavis on Tuesday night. Senior NCP (SP) leader Jayant Patil was also present at that meeting, sparking speculation about political developments.
During a meeting at Devgiri on Wednesday, Pawar sought an explanation from Tatkare regarding the purpose of the meeting with the chief minister. Senior NCP leaders including Chhagan Bhujbal, Anil Patil, and Parth Pawar were also present at the Wednesday gathering. According to a party insider, Pawar believed the leaders should have informed her before meeting Fadnavis.
The incident has highlighted a growing communication gap among key leaders of the NCP, which is a member of the BJP-led NDA coalition.
On Thursday, Tatkare dismissed the reports of internal friction as completely unfounded. Speaking to the media, Tatkare explained that his meeting with the chief minister was solely to discuss developmental works in his parliamentary constituency of Raigad.
Tatkare stated that while he did not inform Pawar beforehand, he would have updated her eventually. He compared the situation to his past working relationship with Ajit Pawar, noting that they shared a deep understanding without needing to discuss every matter beforehand.
However, former MLC Amol Mitkari alleged that some leaders within the party were deliberately trying to undermine the leadership and place Sunetra Pawar and Parth Pawar in a difficult position. Mitkari questioned why the meeting with the chief minister was conducted without taking the party leadership into confidence.
In contrast, State Agriculture Minister Datta Bharne defended Tatkare, stating that elected representatives regularly meet the chief minister to pursue developmental works for their departments or constituencies without always informing the party president.
