Mumbai: A day after NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar) MLA Rohit Pawar alleged that Sunil Tatkare and Praful Patel were trying to wrest control of the NCP-Ajit Pawar from his aunt Sunetra Pawar, leaders from the faction dismissed the claim as “crocodile tears”, and advised him to “concentrate on his own party”.
NCP-AP leaders told ThePrint that Rohit Pawar is selectively focusing on the contents of a letter written by Sunetra Pawar to the Election Commission of India (ECI) to meddle in their party affairs.
In the said letter to the ECI, Sunetra wrote, “It is requested that any correspondence made by any person on behalf of the party in this regard between 28 January 2026 and the appointment of the new NCP president should be considered null and void.”
Rohit Pawar has picked up this line to claim that Tatkare and Patel wanted to take over the party.
Sunil Tatkare refuted these claims.
“For publicity, Rohit Pawar is trying to pull off some stunts everyday. He needs to stop talking about our party now and concentrate on his party. A senior leader like Jayant Patil (from Sharad Pawar-led NCP) is in politics for 40 years but he (Rohit) had spoken about removing him from his post at the Shirdi workshop. So he should stop now,” Tatkare told the media in Mumbai on Wednesday
Ajit Pawar died in a plane crash while landing at the Baramati airfield on 28 January. His wife Sunetra Pawar was appointed as Deputy CM on 31 January. Later on 26 February, she was also elected as NCP-AP president.
A senior NCP-AP leader told ThePrint that Rohit’s allegations, and his purported “care” for the party’s first family are crocodile tears because after Ajit Pawar’s demise, party leaders elected Sunetra Pawar as its president and convinced her to become the deputy CM.
They also sent her son Parth Pawar to Rajya Sabha, all of which have benefited the Ajit Pawar family, the leader said.
“When Ajit Pawar decided to join hands with Mahayuti, Rohit was against it. If he cares for his kaki so much, why did he campaign against her during Lok Sabha polls? It was these leaders (Tatkare, Patel) who stood with the Ajit Pawar family,” the leader said.
Rohit Pawar’s allegations also stem from letters written to the ECI by Patel and Tatkare. Rohit claimed that as a “pre-planned strategy”, they proposed changes to the party constitution to grant sweeping powers to working president Patel.
“Just within 18 days of NCP Chief Ajit Pawar’s death, NCP leaders Sunil Tatkare, Praful Patel, and Brijmohan Srivastav wrote a letter to ECI without taking NCP (AP) leader Parth Pawar, NCP president and Deputy Chief Minister Sunetra Pawar into confidence, or the party MLAs into confidence. When kaki got to know about it, she wrote a letter to ECI,” said Rohit Pawar, who is Sunetra Pawar’s nephew.
However, the NCP-AP leader quoted above said, “Since the case related to the NCP symbol and party name is ongoing in the Supreme court and the ECI, all the correspondence related to it was being done by Praful Patel from the beginning even when Ajit Dada was alive.
“So, after his demise when the ECI wrote letters asking for few details, Praful Patel as a working president responded to it. What is wrong in it,” he said. “When Sunetra vahini became the party president, she wrote a letter with more contents clarifying certain positions. But Rohit Pawar picked up only those lines that suited his narrative. There is no differences among the party leadership,” the leader added
However, an NCP-SP leader close to Rohit Pawar told ThePrint that his allegations are not baseless. “If you see the earlier press conferences, Tatkare and Patel controlled them. They wouldn’t even let Sunetra talk,” he said.
He also claimed there are differences within the NCP-AP leaders, which was also reflected on the Rupali Chakankar issue.
He claimed that NCP-AP leaders differed on whether Chakankar, an NCP-AP leader who allegedly had links with self-proclaimed “godman” who is facing Ashok Kharat sexual harassment allegations, should be made to resign.
According to NCP-AP leaders, a meeting was held on Wednesday on the issue, and most MLAs decided should be removed from her post as the head of the party’s women’s wing. This decision was conveyed to Sunetra Pawar, the leaders said.
“There was some opposition, but a majority wanted her removed,” said a leader who did not wish to be named.
It was not necessarily an issue of friction between Sunetra Pawar and Tatkare-Patel, said the NCP-AP leader.
(Edited by Ajeet Tiwari)
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