Mumbai, September 22, 2023 – The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) is currently embroiled in a bitter internal feud that threatens to upend its established political dynamics. The party, founded in 1999 by the influential Sharad Pawar, has long been a prominent player in Maharashtra’s political landscape. However, recent developments have left the NCP in a state of turmoil.
Following a contentious split within the party, Sharad Pawar has embarked on a mission to rebuild and solidify his faction’s dominance. Meanwhile, the rival group led by Ajit Pawar is making aggressive moves to attract NCP’s Members of Legislative Assembly (MLAs) and Members of Parliament (MPs) into their fold.
Sources close to the matter have revealed that another NCP MLA and MP have thrown their support behind the Ajit Pawar faction, solidifying the schism within the party. Both of them have pledged their loyalty to Ajit Pawar, sparking intense speculation about which MLAs and MPs will align themselves with him.
Currently, Sharad Pawar enjoys the support of prominent Lok Sabha MPs, Amol Kolhe and Srinivas Patil, while Rajya Sabha MPs Vandana Chavan and Fauzia Khan have also sided with him. The question on everyone’s lips is which of these four MPs will ultimately remain loyal, further adding to the intrigue surrounding the NCP’s internal strife.
Recent developments took a legal turn when Ajit Pawar’s faction filed a petition in the Legislature Court, seeking the disqualification of MLAs allied with Sharad Pawar. This revelation came to light in the wake of the two MPs and MLAs pledging their allegiance to Ajit Pawar. While currently within Sharad Pawar’s camp, it is expected that they will clarify their stance in due course.
Consequently, the Ajit Pawar faction has filed a petition in the Legislature against the remaining ten MLAs in Sharad Pawar’s group, excluding the two MPs in question. Simultaneously, the faction has called upon the Legislature’s Speaker to swiftly suspend NCP MLAs associated with Sharad Pawar who are allegedly engaged in anti-party activities, insisting that the original NCP belongs to them.
As the power struggle within the NCP intensifies, Maharashtra’s political landscape is witnessing unprecedented volatility. The outcomes of these internal battles will undoubtedly have far-reaching implications for the future of the Nationalist Congress Party and the state’s political equilibrium.
