Power Vacuum In NCP? Legal Challenge To Sunetra Pawar Opens Fresh Questions Over Party Leadership

Last Updated:July 14, 2026, 09:27 IST

Sachchidanand Singh, the NCP's former national secretary, served a seven-page legal notice questioning the validity of Sunetra Pawar's election as the party's national president.

Barely six months after the death of Ajit Pawar left a leadership vacuum in the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), the party is facing its first major internal crisis. A legal challenge to the election of party chief Sunetra Pawar, coupled with senior leader Praful Patel’s public call for “corrective measures", has brought simmering organisational differences into the open.

The latest controversy began after Sachchidanand Singh, the NCP’s former national secretary, served a seven-page legal notice questioning the validity of Sunetra Pawar’s election as the party’s national president. The notice has been addressed to Sunetra Pawar, Praful Patel and party general secretary Brijmohan Shrivastav, giving the leadership 15 days to respond before legal proceedings are initiated.

Singh has argued that following Ajit Pawar’s death on January 28, the party’s amended constitution required Praful Patel, as national working president, to function as the officiating chief until an election for the remainder of the term was conducted. According to the notice, Shrivastav allegedly initiated the process for electing a new president on February 18 without the approval of the constitutionally designated officiating head, making the election process legally questionable. Singh has also sought fresh organisational elections and requested that both Sunetra Pawar’s election and the revised list of National Working Committee office-bearers be declared null and void.

The challenge comes amid growing unease within the party over its functioning after Ajit Pawar’s demise. Soon after Sunetra Pawar took charge, the revised list of office-bearers submitted to the Election Commission reportedly omitted the official designations of Praful Patel and Maharashtra unit president Sunil Tatkare, triggering speculation over internal differences. While the party maintained that it was a typographical error, the episode fuelled concerns among senior leaders about the direction of the organisation.

Adding weight to those concerns, Praful Patel on Monday publicly acknowledged that the NCP was facing a leadership vacuum after Ajit Pawar’s death and said the party needed “corrective measures" to remain politically relevant. His remarks are being seen as the first public admission from the top leadership that organisational issues require urgent attention.

The NCP, however, has rejected the allegations. Party spokesperson Suraj Chavan said Sunetra Pawar’s election was conducted strictly in accordance with the party constitution and Election Commission guidelines, dismissing the legal notice as an attempt to create a sensation. He maintained that delegates had unanimously elected Sunetra Pawar as the party president.

The developments mark the most visible signs yet of internal discord within the NCP since Ajit Pawar’s death. With a legal challenge now looming, demands for fresh organisational polls, and senior leaders publicly acknowledging the need for course correction, the party’s post-Ajit leadership transition appears set for its toughest test yet.

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Pragati Ratti

Pragati is a News Editor at news18.com. Having headed the Business and Viral sections, Pragati now ideates, writes and edits long-form features and articles on national and global affairs. She ensures...Read More

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