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By:

Abhijit Mulye

21 August 2024 at 11:29:11 am

Legal notice threatens Sunetra’s NCP presidency

Mumbai: The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) is weathering a fresh political storm as newly elected National President and Deputy Chief Minister Sunetra Pawar faces a direct legal challenge to her leadership. Elevated to the top posts following the tragic accidental demise of former Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, Sunetra Pawar is now navigating a complex internal rebellion. A legal notice served by a senior party functionary demanding the annulment of her election has not only raised the...

Legal notice threatens Sunetra’s NCP presidency

Mumbai: The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) is weathering a fresh political storm as newly elected National President and Deputy Chief Minister Sunetra Pawar faces a direct legal challenge to her leadership. Elevated to the top posts following the tragic accidental demise of former Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, Sunetra Pawar is now navigating a complex internal rebellion. A legal notice served by a senior party functionary demanding the annulment of her election has not only raised the startling possibility of her having to step down from the presidency but has also ignited intense speculation among party insiders regarding who might truly be orchestrating this proxy battle from behind the scenes. The crisis was triggered on July 9 when Sachchidanand Singh, the NCP’s Jharkhand State President and a party veteran of 15 years, served a legal notice through his lawyer. Directed at Sunetra Pawar as party president, Praful Patel as working president, and Brijmohan Srivastava as party secretary, the notice claims that the February 26 election for the top post was fundamentally invalid and unconstitutional. Singh, who was appointed as National Secretary in December 2023 by the late Ajit Pawar but unceremoniously excluded from the new national executive committee, has demanded that the current election be scrapped and a fresh one be conducted under an independent and impartial election officer. Crucially, the notice demands that until a new election is held, Sunetra Pawar’s position and the revised list of office-bearers be considered null and void, a move that would effectively force her immediate ouster. Procedural Expose The legal challenge hinges on deep procedural technicalities that expose the fragile transition of power within the NCP. According to the notice, following Ajit Pawar’s demise on January 28, the party submitted an amended constitution to the Election Commission on February 17, vesting Praful Patel with the powers of the National President until a permanent leader was elected. Singh has questioned under what authority Brijmohan Srivastava convened the pivotal February 26 meeting instead of Patel. Furthermore, he alleged that consent from the then-national executive members was bypassed for crucial communications sent to the Election Commission on February 18. While the legalities are complex, the political implications are profound. The sheer audacity of the notice has set the rumor mills ablaze within the NCP, with party insiders quietly speculating whether Singh is acting independently out of personal grievance over his exclusion, or if he is acting as a frontline proxy for disgruntled heavyweight factions maneuvering for ultimate control of the party. Trivial Issue Amidst the brewing storm, the NCP’s top brass has attempted to project a picture of absolute unity while swiftly dismissing the rebellion. Senior party leader and NCP State President Sunil Tatkare sought to brush away the controversy, characterising the legal notice as a trivial issue completely devoid of factual or legal substance. Asserting that the election of ‘Vahini’ (Sunetra Pawar) was conducted with strict adherence to the party constitution, laws, and democratic norms, Tatkare emphasised that the opinion of a single disgruntled individual does not reflect systemic unrest within the larger organisation. He firmly stated that the party’s core committee would convene imminently to consult legal experts and take appropriate disciplinary decisions against those responsible for the notice. However, despite Tatkare’s confident efforts to downplay the crisis, the looming legal battle and the swirling internal suspicions pose a critical test for Sunetra Pawar’s nascent leadership at a highly vulnerable juncture for the party. “There is no rift in the party. All senior party leaders meet with Sunetra Pawar to discuss political issues. The letter written by Sachchidanand Singh carries no weight. Any issue should be resolved amicably in the interest of the party." Praful Patel, Leader, NCP

Clever seat selection helped BJP to secure historic win

The party won 65 seats against Congress, 37 against NCP (SP) and 29 against Shiv Sena (UBT)

Clever seat selection

Mumbai: The BJP’s strategic seat sharing with the allies has proved beneficial for the party. An analysis of the Assembly election results show that the BJP has scored over its main rival, the Congress, in a big way because of the direct fights.


The analysis shows that BJP defeated all three constituents of the Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) – Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT) and NCP (SP) – in the direct fights. This is attributed as one of the reasons for the BJP’s historic poll success.


The BJP contested 147 out of 288 seats. In 76 constituencies, it faced Congress. BJP secured victory in 65 seats and lost only 11 seats, making it a whopping 86 per cent of the total direct fights. This was followed by an even stronger performance against NCP (SP). Of the total 39 fights with Sharad Pawar’s party, BJP captured 37 seats making it 95 per cent of the total fights with NCP (SP). BJP and Shiv Sena (UBT) were head-to-head in 32 constituencies, of which BJP emerged victorious in 29 seats, making this 91 per cent of the total direct contests.


According to a BJP strategist the party had bargained hard with its allies, Shiv Sena and NCP to get the desired constituencies in the seat sharing formula. “We had studied to potential candidates of the MVA. That helped us in choosing the seats where we can register comfortable victories,” the strategist said.


BJP spokesperson Niranjan Shetty attributed the success to all the party workers who worked hard to boost development, infrastructure in the state. He gave credit to Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis for his contribution to the party’s success.


Shetty pointed out that in 2019, Uddhav Thackeray had stalled all the “novel” and “legendary” projects that Fadnavis had started when he had taken over as CM, making it very easy for the people of Maharashtra to strike a comparison between both the leaders and the potential they had for serving the people. “Devendra Fadnavis gave up his post very easily for the larger good. There are many such examples like Venkaiah Naidu who was BJP National President and later worked as the Vice President of India because that was the need of the hour. We seldom care about our posts,” Shetty told The Perfect Voice.


Congress spokesperson Atul Londhe refused to call the election results as the people’s mandate. “This is not at all a Janata mandate. Despite Maharashtra struggling with so many basic social issues, how can BJP acquire such a huge mandate is the question. If a student copies and fails with just passing marks, it can go unnoticed, but if a student copies and bags the number one position, something is fishy. Why is the BJP scared of ballot papers?” he said.

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