Sharad Pawar backs Praful Patel, Sunil Tatkare as cracks widen in NCP

His remarks come amid speculations of a fresh round of internal reshuffling in the ruling NCP, nearly two years after party’s former chief, late Ajit Pawar, split the party and joined the BJP-Shiv Sena government.

The immediate trigger was the letter submitted to the EC by Sunetra Pawar, wife of former deputy CM late Ajit Pawar, in which the names of Praful Patel and state unit chief Sunil Tatkare were left out among other leaders. Within political circles, the omission has been read as a signal that the two senior leaders are being gradually edged out of the party’s inner circle.

Patel and Tatkare were among the key figures who stood with Ajit Pawar during the 2023 split and helped the faction stabilise itself organisationally. Patel handled much of the party’s coordination in Delhi then, while Tatkare remained one of its strongest organisational faces in Maharashtra.

But over the past few months, there has been visible unease within sections of the party over the growing concentration of decision-making around Ajit Pawar and his family. The latest developments have only added to the perception that a tighter leadership structure is taking shape within the organisation.

Tatkare’s recent meeting with Sharad Pawar further fuelled the speculation. Though Tatkare maintained that the meeting was only to check on Pawar’s health and had no political agenda, it drew attention because of the timing.

The unease within the ruling NCP has also been reflected in the resignation of former Lok Sabha MP and party spokesperson Anand Paranjape. Party sources said Paranjape was interested in the Rajya Sabha seat that fell vacant after Sunetra Pawar’s resignation, but felt sidelined during internal discussions.

His exit has triggered further speculation, especially after reports that he is in touch with Shiv Sena MP Shrikant Shinde, son of Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.

Pawar also criticised the functioning of the Centre and the state government, saying the country was facing a “grave” situation and calling for an all-party meeting attended by the Prime Minister himself.

“If the Prime Minister and Chief Ministers are saying the situation is serious, then everyone should show seriousness,” he said, while also taking a swipe at ministers making public displays of austerity.

“One minister said he reduced his convoy from 17 cars to eight. I was shocked to know he had 17 cars in the first place,” Pawar remarked.

He also criticised Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis for his comments against Rahul Gandhi, saying constitutional posts should be treated with dignity regardless of political differences.

Regarding the falling Rupee and the war-like global situation, Pawar commented, “We must think about why the Rupee is falling. The current issue with Iran certainly has an impact, but is that the only reason?” He further said that the Central Government took these decisions only after the election results were out and pointed out that while the elections were ongoing, there was no sense of urgency.

Pawar said, “The Prime Minister visited the Somnath Temple; that is fine. But what was done there—flying aircraft, a show featuring six planes—if the situation is serious, it should be reflected at all levels. Telling people not to buy gold simply means they don’t want the value of the Rupee to slide further… you cannot say one thing while doing something entirely different.”