Rift in NCP? Leaders meet Shah without Sunetra Pawar
What's the story
The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) has dismissed speculation of internal rifts after a meeting between senior party leaders and Amit Shah in Delhi. The party clarified that the meeting was pre-scheduled and not an indication of any divisions within its ranks. NCP national chief spokesperson Umesh Patil termed reports of sidelining Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister and party president Sunetra Pawar and Rajya Sabha MP Parth Pawar as "incorrect, baseless and misleading," insisting that the party remained united under her leadership.
Agenda clarification
Sunetra, Parth met Shah earlier over party issues: Patil
Patil said the meeting was held to discuss party matters, Maharashtra's interests, and constituency issues.
He added that Sunetra and Parth had already met Shah to talk about problems facing the party after Ajit Pawar's death in a plane crash earlier this year.
During that meeting, Sunetra informed Shah about a delegation of senior leaders who would meet him later, Patil said.
Meeting outcomes
Several NCP leaders met ShahÂ
Patil said there were attempts to give the meeting an unnecessary political angle and build a narrative about internal differences in the NCP.
The clarification came after senior NCP leaders Praful Patel, Sunil Tatkare, Dilip Walse Patil, Hassan Mushrif, Chhagan Bhujbal, and Dhananjay Munde met with Shah on Monday morning.
The meeting fueled speculation that the BJP could be considering merging the two NCP sections to bolster the NDA, potentially excluding Sunetra and Parth.
Leadership change
Ajit Pawar's death created leadership vacuum in NCP
Sunetra had taken over the party's reins after the death of Ajit in January this year.
However, signs of discontent within the party later emerged when NCP national secretary Sachchidanand Singh challenged the process through which Sunetra was elected party president and called for new organizational elections.
The unease within a section of the party came reportedly over the growing influence of Sunetra's son, Parth, in organizational affairs.