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Tuesday, April 7, 2026
TopicNCP

Topic: NCP

The NCP or Nationalist Congress Party was founded in 1999 by Sharad Pawar after he quit the Indian National Congress (INC) along with Purno Sangma and Tariq Anwar. While the NCP started as a national party with values of ‘Gandhian secularism’ and ‘progressive and modern progress’, its biggest electoral success has been in Maharashtra, Pawar’s home state. In 2023, the Election Commission withdrew the party’s status as a ‘national party’ as the NCP could no longer meet the criteria of such a designation.

As of 2024, the party is split into two factions — one led by founder Sharad Pawar and another by his nephew Ajit Pawar. The faction led by Ajit is in power in Maharashtra along with the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Shiv Sena (Eknath Shinde). This faction today is knonw as the Nationalist Congress Party, having been granted the original party name and symbol by the Supreme Court. The other faction is called the Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar). Other important leaders include Jayant Patil, Supriya Sule, and Rajesh Tope.

Who is Narhari Zirwal? NCP minister in dock over purported video with transperson

Purva Chitnis -
Pressure mounting on Sunetra Pawar to sack 4-time MLA, with Oppn leaders describing alleged conduct as 'obscene & unethical'. Zirwal has denied wrongdoing, but admits he has known transperson for 5 yrs.

Signs of lie detected

ThePrint Team -
The best cartoons of the day, chosen by the editors at ThePrint.

Mahayuti allies Sena, NCP haul BJP over the coals for ‘manipulating’ Satara zilla parishad polls

Purva Chitnis -
Sena and NCP combine had won Satara zilla parishad polls, with 35 out of 65 seats. But BJP, with 27 seats, won the post of president with the support of an independent candidate.

MVA conundrum ends, Sharad Pawar to be candidate in Rajya Sabha polls

Purva Chitnis -
Both Congress & Shiv Sena UBT came out to present a united face after veteran’s name was announced as Aghadi candidate.

Sugar mills, Pawars, petitions, ED & EOW probe—the many twists & turns in Rs 25,000 crore MSCB ‘scam’

Kasturi Walimbe -
As a special court accepted closure report filed by Economic Offences Wing, it weakens Enforcement Directorate's parallel money-laundering probe against big names in Maharashtra.

Tarique Rahman’s govt is on a mission of de-Yunusification. It will fix India-Bangladesh ties

Rishi Gupta -
Going forward, India and Bangladesh will have to double the effort to fix the damage done to bilateral ties by the Yunus administration.

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Manasi Phadke -
The project is expected to slow further as it shifts from two casting yards to one, with the Bandra facility being vacated to make way for development by Adani Realty.

Supriye Sule, Rohit Pawar rule out NCP merger. ‘Talks ended with Ajit dada’s death’

Purva Chitnis -
Mumbai: Amid uncertainty over a possible reunion between the two factions of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) following the death of Maharashtra Deputy Chief...

BJP cements rural grip in Maharashtra in zilla parishad & panchayat polls, allies not far behind

Purva Chitnis -
BJP emerges as the single largest party in Maharashtra's rural polls, but analysts see strong performances by Shinde Sena and NCP as a warning for BJP's plans to go solo in 2029.

Sharad Pawar back in game as NCP merger talks turn into bout between Baramati patriarch & Fadnavis

Manasi Phadke -
By criticising Union Budget, raising concerns over India-US trade deal, Sharad Pawar asserted that despite prior talks of an NCP merger, he remains firm in his opposition to NDA.
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Defence

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National Interest

China insulated itself against energy shocks. India is ‘all talk, no walk’

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