NCP MLC Idris Naikwadi asked to vacate legislative council seat, refuses

Idris Naikwadi, however, denied the claims, saying that no one had approached him seeking his resignation

Mumbai: At a time when the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) is reeling from internal differences, the party leadership recently asked a prominent leader from Sangli to resign from the Maharashtra legislative council to accommodate another candidate, according to party insiders.

NCP MLC Idris Naikwadi asked to vacate legislative council seat, refuses

However, Idris Naikwadi, 61, refused to step down, saying he had been appointed by the late NCP president Ajit Pawar and intended to complete his six-year term, insiders said. Naikwadi, however, denied the claims, saying that no one had approached him seeking his resignation.

Naikwadi was appointed to the legislative council from the governor’s nominated quota in October 2024. He was the only Muslim member of the legislative council (MLC) until Zeeshan Siddique’s election earlier this month. He was also among the four Muslim leaders named as star campaigners by the party for the 2024 state assembly elections.

According to a senior NCP leader, an officer on special duty (OSD) from deputy chief minister and NCP president Sunetra Pawar’s office visited Naikwadi’s residence in Miraj, Sangli, a fortnight ago and conveyed the leadership’s desire that he vacate the MLC post.

“Naikwadi refused to do so. Later, during a meeting in Mumbai, he was assured that the party would take care of him and rehabilitate him in another position soon, but he was not convinced,” another NCP leader revealed.

The reported move has surprised several party leaders, who said such a demand is unprecedented within the NCP. The issue is likely to come up during a meeting of legislators and former legislators convened by Pawar at her official residence, Devgiri, on Tuesday evening.

The development comes at a time when the NCP is experiencing a major internal power struggle following Ajit Pawar’s death in a plane crash in January. The rift has effectively split the party into camps headed by Pawar’s widow and political successor, Sunetra, and the party’s old guard, including senior leaders Praful Patel and Sunil Tatkare.

When contacted, Naikwadi denied the reports. “Neither any OSD nor any party leader approached me seeking my resignation,” he told Hindustan Times. “I am not aware of where these reports have come from. There is no reason or basis for the party to ask me to step down from my position.”

Naikwadi is a senior NCP leader who was first elected as a municipal councillor in 1991. He was also elected as the mayor of the Sangli-Miraj-Kupwad Municipal Corporation in 2011. Following the split in the NCP in 2023, he aligned himself with Ajit Pawar. Soon after, Pawar rewarded him by appointing him as an MLC.