Legal challenge to Sunetra Pawar's NCP presidency

NCP’s Suraj Chavan, however rejected the allegations and said the election was held as per the party’s constitution and guidelines by the ECI.

A former national secretary of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) has issued a legal challenge to the election of party national president Sunetra Pawar, five months after she assumed office.

NCP national president Sunetra Pawar challenged for position by former national secretary, Praful Patel (HT/Anshuman Poyrekar)

A legal notice sent to Pawar on July 9 (which the party received on Monday) said that after former party chief Ajit Pawar’s death, national working president Praful Patel was supposed to officiate in the position until the election, adhering to the amended constitution submitted to ECI on February 16.

Speaking to reporters on Monday, Patel backed Singh’s claim. NCP’s Suraj Chavan, however rejected the allegations and said the election was held as per the party’s constitution and guidelines by the ECI.

“It is merely an attempt to create a sensation. All the delegates had unanimously elected Sunetra vahini as the party’s new president,” Chavan told HT.