3 months ago
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Former Union Minister and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) moving president Praful Patel connected Tuesday (Febuary 3, 2026) said that helium was not successful the contention for the presumption of nationalist president of the NCP. That work should beryllium handed implicit to Sunetra Pawar, woman of the precocious NCP person Ajit Pawar, Mr. Patel said.
Mr. Patel met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah successful New Delhi connected Tuesday, wherever they discussed the concern successful Maharashtra, elder sources told The Hindu.
Sunetra Pawar, who was precocious sworn-in arsenic Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister, is slated to sojourn New Delhi aft the State Cabinet gathering connected February 10. She is apt to conscionable Mr. Modi and Mr. Shah then, sources said.
“Did anybody from my enactment speech of my sanction [for the station of nationalist president]? Some radical person planted it. Someone gave incorrect accusation to (Union Commerce Minister) Piyush Goyal, and helium has withdrawn it,” Mr. Patel said, speaking with reporters successful New Delhi connected Tuesday.
The erstwhile Minister was speaking a time aft a governmental tempest broke retired implicit the anticipation of his becoming the party’s adjacent nationalist president. At a condolence gathering held astatine the enactment office, helium besides said the presumption should beryllium fixed to Ms. Sunetra Pawar.
Mr. Patil denied immoderate speech of a merger betwixt the NCP and the NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar oregon SP).
Slamming the absorption to Ms. Sunetra Pawar’s assignment arsenic person of the legislative enactment and Deputy Chief Minister wrong 4 days of Ajit Pawar’s tragic decease successful an aerial crash, Mr. Patil said it was an interior determination of the party.
“Dada (as the precocious Ajit Pawar was known) ever believed that beingness indispensable spell on. We are each sad. The full State is successful grief. But we are grateful that Sunetra Pawar considered our plea and respected it. She came to Mumbai aft grieving with the household for 3 days. Ajit Pawar was our cardinal person since the enactment of the party. He became the nationalist president of the enactment successful 2023...We person appointed Sunetra Pawar arsenic the legislative enactment person of our party. She was sworn successful arsenic the Deputy Chief Minister connected the aforesaid day. Whom the NCP chooses arsenic its ain person is our interior question,” Mr. Patil said.
No merger
Mr. Patil denied immoderate treatment astir a merger betwixt the NCP and NCP(SP). When pressed astir it, helium said the precedence was to absorption connected one’s ain enactment and its interior matters. “Our party, our house, our legislature enactment is our priority. Merger is not the taxable successful beforehand of us,” Mr. Patil said.
Slams Raj Thackeray, Raut
“I americium the moving president of NCP. After Ajit Pawar, it is my work to enactment things successful order. For the assignment to the [NCP] nationalist president’s position, we volition implicit the interior process and bash it. Is it close of radical from different parties, who haven’t adjacent fought an election, to marque statements astir us? If idiosyncratic comments astir us, they should beryllium ashamed,” helium said, successful an evident notation to Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) main Raj Thackeray and Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) MP Sanjay Raut.
“Is helium (Raj Thackeray) from my party? What is my narration [to him]? Should helium determine who should beryllium our leader? Not Raj Thackeray — not anybody other — tin accidental anything. I americium a nationalist typical who has been elected by the people. Those who ne'er won adjacent 1 ballot from the radical should not accidental anything. They should beryllium ashamed,” Mr. Patil said.
