NEW DELHI: The election of Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Sunetra Pawar as the president of Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) has been challenged by a senior colleague, who has issued a legal notice and sought fresh organisational poll.
The notice, issued on July 9 by Delhi-based law firm ARS Associates on behalf of NCP national secretary Sachchidanand Singh, claimed that the election held on February 26 this year was unconstitutional and liable to be declared “null, void and non-est”.
Addressed to Sunetra Pawar, national working president Prafull Patel and general secretary Brijmohan Shrivastav, the notice alleged that the election process was initiated without following mandatory provisions of the NCP party constitution and without proper notice to delegates and office-bearers.
According to the notice, after the demise of then NCP president Ajit Pawar on January 28, the party had informed the Election Commission that Patel would function as acting national president until a new chief was elected.
It alleged that Shrivastav subsequently convened the national convention and set the election process in motion despite lacking the constitutional authority to do so.
“No duly constituted central election authority, returning officer or election calendar was put in place as required under the party constitution. Delegates were denied an opportunity to nominate candidates, contest or vote,” the notice claimed.
Singh has demanded withdrawal of party communications sent to the Election Commission on February 28, March 10 and April 29 this year, which recorded the election and office-bearers, and sought a fresh organisational election under an independent election authority.
The notice has given the party leadership 15 days to comply with the demands, failing which the petitioner has reserved the right to initiate further legal proceedings.
When contacted, NCP spokesperson Suraj Chavan said Singh was present at the national convention on February 26 and voted for Sunetra Pawar’s by raising his hand.
“All rules were followed in her election,” Chavan asserted.
Following Sachchidanand Singh, the party’s national secretary, on July 12, Praful Patel, the party’s working president, also spoke out about the vacuum in the party after Sunetra’s husband Ajit Pawar’s death and the “need for corrective measures.”“To fill Ajit Pawar’s vacuum is not an easy task.
As his wife Sunetra Pawar took over the party’s leadership, Patel and state party president Sunil Tatkare were considered as rivals and were progressively sidelined. Instead, her son, Rajya Sabha MP Parth Pawar, began making decisions within the party.
Parth Pawar’s rise has irritated many members of the party, who are wondering why they should listen to someone with little political experience.
According to party documents dated February 17, it was agreed that national working president Praful Patel would temporarily take over as national president following Ajit Pawar’s death, according to the letter. It also stated that the party’s constitution was modified on February 16.
How tensions rose inside the party January 28: Ajit Pawar dies in an air crash in Baramati February 26: Sunetra Pawar is chosen as national NCP president at the party’s national convention at the NSCI Club in Mumbai.
Praful Patel is re-elected as national working president, and Sunil Tatkare as state party president. On February 28, Sunetra writes to the Election Commission (EC), asking that the decisions made between Ajit Pawar’s death and her elevation be declared null and invalid. Sunetra Pawar writes to the EC on her appointment as party chief.
Sunetra Pawar sends a list of 14 office-bearers but omits the designations of 12 members, including Praful Patel and Sunil Tatkare. April 29: Sunetra Pawar’s letter to the EC lists Pawar and Tatkare as members of the national executive but omits their designations as national working president and state president. June 12: Sunetra seeks indiscipline within the party.
On July 2, 2023, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) divided into two factions after Ajit Pawar instigated a rebellion and joined the Maharashtra joined the ruling Shiv Sena-BJP (Mahayuti) coalition government in Maharashtra on July 2, 2023. The two main factions are the NCP led by Sunetra Pawar following her husband Ajit Pawar’s death, and the NCP (Sharad Chandra Pawar), led by Sharad Pawar, the founder.
With Press Trust of India Inputs
