Ex-NCP secretary sends reminder notice to Sunetra Pawar, threatens court action

The notice assumes significance against the backdrop of an ECI communication dated July 27, which flagged discrepancies in the changes made by Sunetra Pawar to the NCP’s National Working Committee (NWC) after she assumed charge as party president.

MUMBAI: After serving a legal notice, former NCP national secretary Sachchidanand Singh has sent a reminder notice to party national president Sunetra Pawar, seeking her re-election as NCP chief. Singh has given the party leadership 15 days to act on his notice, failing which he has warned that he may approach the appropriate authorities, including the Election Commission of India (ECI) and the courts.

Mumbai, India - June 21, 2026: CM Devendra Fadnavis(C), Dy CM Sunetra Pawar(L) and Dy CM Eknath Shinde(R) during the press conference ahead of the upcoming Monsoon Session, Sahaydri Guest House, in Mumbai, India, on Sunday, June 21, 2026. (Photo by Anshuman Poyrekar/Hindustan Times) (Anshuman Poyrekar/HT Photo)

The reminder notice was issued after the NCP leadership did not respond to Singh’s July 9 legal notice, in which he alleged that Sunetra Pawar’s election as party president was “unconstitutional”. According to the notice, the election violated provisions of the party constitution that mandate a prescribed electoral process for the appointment of the national president. Singh has alleged that the required process was not followed when Sunetra Pawar was elected at the party’s national convention on February 26.

The notice assumes significance against the backdrop of an ECI communication dated July 27, which flagged discrepancies in the changes made by Sunetra Pawar to the NCP’s National Working Committee (NWC) after she assumed charge as party president. The poll panel also sought supporting documents to substantiate the changes.

In his fresh, five-page notice issued on August 17, Singh argued that the party leadership’s continued silence on his earlier notice could be construed as an admission of the alleged illegality. He demanded that Sunetra Pawar’s election be declared null and void.

Singh has reiterated his demand that both Sunetra Pawar’s election as NCP president and the revised list of office-bearers of the NWC be declared null and void. He has also sought the appointment of a duly empowered Central Election Authority or Returning Officer to conduct fresh organisational elections in strict accordance with the party constitution.

The NCP has been facing internal turbulence since the death of its chief Ajit Pawar in a plane crash on January 28. Soon after Sunetra took over, fresh differences emerged after the names of Praful Patel and Sunil Tatkare were omitted from the revised list of NWC office-bearers submitted to the ECI.

The party sought to defuse the controversy by describing the list as provisional and assuring that it would be revised at the next meeting. However, no revised list has been issued so far.

Parth meets Sharad Pawar

Amid intense speculation over a possible reunion of the two rival NCP factions, Sunetra Pawar’s son Parth held an almost three-hour meeting with NCP (SP) president Sharad Pawar on Wednesday evening. Details of the discussion have not yet emerged but the meeting points in the direction of a rapprochement.

Adding to the conjecture are the meetings of Sharad Pawar and his daughter, Supriya Sule, with Narendra Modi and the PM’s subsequent meeting with all eight NCP (SP) MPs. Modi and union home minister Amit Shah last Monday also attended the wedding reception of Sule’s daughter, Revati, in New Delhi.

These developments have come amid a series of meetings between NCP (SP) leaders and Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis, as well as other leaders of the ruling alliance, further adding to the speculation.