After poll defeat, Sunetra Pawar calls NCP core committee meet

Senior NCP leaders had earlier publicly expressed their displeasure over Sunetra Pawar’s decision to leave the Pune Graduates’ Constituency to the BJP

MUMBAI: NCP president Sunetra Pawar has convened a core committee meeting on Monday to review the party’s defeat in the recent Legislative Council elections. The meeting, which will be held amid growing internal friction, will assess the reasons for the setback and discuss the party’s strategy for the upcoming local body elections.

Senior NCP leaders had earlier publicly expressed their displeasure over Sunetra Pawar’s decision to leave the Pune Graduates’ Constituency to the BJP. (PTI)

The NCP, an ally in the BJP-led Mahayuti alliance government, is navigating a difficult phase after losing its only sitting seat in the recently concluded Legislative Council polls — the Aurangabad Graduates’ Constituency. The party had fielded sitting MLC Satish Chavan, who was seeking a fourth consecutive term, but he was defeated by NCP (SP) candidate Dr Pratapsinh Patil by a margin of 18,124 votes.

The electoral setback has also reignited internal differences within the party, with a section of NCP leaders questioning the decision to concede the Pune Graduates’ Constituency to the BJP as part of the seat-sharing arrangement.

“It was a sitting seat of the NCP, and the party could have registered a victory in at least one of the five constituencies,” a senior party leader said. “The fact that we didn’t win even a single seat is very damaging for the organisation as well as for party workers,” the leader added.

However, another senior leader said the party leadership was open to discussing the reasons for the defeat, adding that winning and losing are part of the electoral process. “There was discontent against our candidate in Aurangabad, which worked to Patil’s advantage. Besides, Patil runs several educational institutions, which gave him an advantage and contributed to the unexpected result,” the leader said.

Parth Pawar, Rajya Sabha MP and elder of Sunetra Pawar, is gradually taking control of the party by handpicking leaders for key positions in the organization. This has not gone down well with senior leaders, who are also preparing to assert their influence, leading to internal friction.