Maha: NCP leaders push unity, plan overhaul ahead of Zilla Parishad polls

Mumbai, Aug 22 (AHN) Amid reports of a widening rift between young Turks and veterans, top leaders of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), led by national president and Deputy Chief Minister Sunetra Pawar on Saturday held a three‑and‑a‑half‑hour meeting to strengthen the party organisation through collective responsibility, increase coordination between the party and government, and carry out an organisational overhaul from top to grassroots level.

NCP leaders also decided to step up preparations for the upcoming Zilla Parishad elections to be contested under Sunetra Pawar’s leadership, putting up a show of unity. They were unanimous in carrying forward the legacy of former president and Deputy Chief Minister late Ajit Pawar while strongly pursuing the secular agenda and keeping development at the centre stage.

The meeting came as Ajit Pawar’s son and Rajya Sabha member Parth Pawar has been active in restructuring the party organisation by bringing in new faces and increasing Gen Z’s representation.

The timing was crucial, with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) pursuing its shat pratishat (100 per cent) strategy to secure majority rule in the 288‑member state assembly. At the same time, the Shiv Sena led by Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has launched a massive exercise to expand its presence across the state by luring functionaries from other parties.

Saturday’s strategy meeting was attended by Parth Pawar, his brother and disciplinary action committee chief Jay Pawar, state unit chief Sunil Tatkare, working president Praful Patel, ministers Chhagan Bhujbal, Hasan Mushrif, Narhari Zirwal and Babasaheb Patil, former ministers Dilip Walse Patil, Nawab Malik, Dhananjay Munde and Sanjay Bansode, and Minister of State Indranil Naik. The objective was to give representation to politically influential cadres and communities. For a change, the meeting took place at Parth Pawar’s residence in Worli.

Tatkare told reporters that the party meeting focused on organisational affairs following prior discussions at the local level.

“Today, we conducted a comprehensive review regarding party strategy across Vidarbha, Western Maharashtra, and the entire state. The legal actions, especially with the issues raised by office bearer Sacchidanand Singh with the Election Commission, will be pursued appropriately. Regarding assumptions about a split, there was never any rift among us. Prashant Kishor was not present at this meeting,” he said.

NCP sources said the meeting placed major emphasis on maintaining seamless communication between party leaders and office‑bearers, ensuring local issues reach senior leadership for swift resolution.

Attendees reviewed state political dynamics, development initiatives by the central and state governments, and issues facing departments managed by the NCP. Discussions also covered ways to enhance coordination with Mahayuti alliance partners to strengthen the NCP’s position in government.

Sources added that the group unanimously decided to step up outreach to voters and booth‑level preparations ahead of the upcoming Zilla Parishad elections, as well as in the run‑up to the Lok Sabha and state assembly elections.

Meanwhile, the meeting took place two days after Parth Pawar met NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar at Silver Oak for a nearly three-hour discussion. Reports indicate they discussed state and national political scenarios, though specific details remain undisclosed.