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.

Published on: Jul 14, 2026, 08:30:43 IST

By Faisal Malik

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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.

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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.

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“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.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Faisal Malik
Faisal Malik is a senior journalist with over two and a half decades of experience covering Maharashtra’s politics, governance and public policy with a deep understanding of the state’s political landscape. He is a Senior Assistant Editor at Hindustan Times and has been associated with its Mumbai edition for more than a decade. Based in Mumbai, Faisal currently covers three major political parties in Maharashtra — Congress, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and NCP (Sharad Pawar). Over the years, he has extensively reported on major political developments, combining investigative insights with in-depth field reporting. His coverage has spanned a wide range of issues, from drought, farmer suicides, major development projects and grassroots challenges to major electoral battles, including three Lok Sabha and Maharashtra Assembly elections — 2014, 2019 and 2024. Before joining Hindustan Times, he worked with ‘The Asian Age’ and ‘Dainik Bhaskar’. An avid tea enthusiast, he enjoys reading history, Urdu literature and classical poetry. When away from the newsroom, he writes Urdu poetry inspired by human emotions, life's experiences, meaningful reflections and relationships. An amateur photographer, Faisal is passionate about capturing moments that often go unnoticed by the naked eye.Read More

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