MUMBAI: Maharashtra deputy chief minister and NCP national president Sunetra Pawar wrote to the Election Commission of India (ECI), stating that any correspondence by NCP leaders between January 28 and the date of her appointment as the party chief should not be treated as the party’s official correspondence.
The letter was written on February 28, two days after she was elected as the national president of the party.
Her letter has made the February 16, 2026 communication to the ECI by working president Praful Patel and state president Sunil Tatkare void, as it had claimed that in Ajit Pawar’s absence, Patel was entrusted with the authority to take decisions for the party.
Interestingly, her letter makes no mention of Patel or Tatkare, raising questions over whether the two senior NCP leaders still hold the positions earlier assigned by the late Ajit Pawar or if there has been a change.
A person privy to the developments said Sunetra Pawar’s letter to the ECI, and the absence of any mention of the two NCP leaders, indicate that she has dissolved the party’s existing body, with both leaders likely to lose their positions as she looks to build her own team.
“The message is loud and clear that Sunetra Pawar has not liked the way both the Patels and Tatkares tried to take over the party after the demise of her husband. Now, she is slowly trying to assert and reclaim her authority in the party by showing the door indirectly to these two leaders,” said a senior person from the NCP.
“Besides, she also terminated the contract with the political campaign and PR firm Design Box, headed by Naresh Arora, that was hired by Patel and Tatkare at high cost,” they further said, adding that if Sunetra Pawar emerges as Maharani Tarabai in this crisis, then no one should be surprised.
Sunetra Pawar also held a meeting with her MLAs, who urged her to be assertive and active to put the party back in public dominance.
“We know Sunetra Pawar cannot fill the shoes of Ajit Pawar, but she can definitely stop the erosion in the party and build a positive perception when the party is in a tattered state after the resignations of two ministers and the state women's commission chairperson Rulapi Chakankar and the emergence of a purported video of NCP minister Narhari Zirwal. Therefore, she needs to step out and show some leadership,” an observer said.
