The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) on Wednesday appointed Zeeshan Siddique as the new president of its Mumbai unit, signalling what appears to be the beginning of wider organisational changes led by Parth Pawar, son of party president Sunetra Pawar. Parth is handpicking leaders for key positions as he seeks to reshape the party’s organisational structure and take complete control of the ruling outfit.
However, the transition may not be smooth, with indications that senior NCP leaders are preparing to assert their influence.
Siddique is considered close to Parth, and his appointment marked Siddique’s second significant political milestone in just five months within the organization. After a two-year hiatus following his defeat in the November 2024 assembly elections from the Vandre East constituency, he was elected as a Member of the Legislative Council (MLC) in May, 2026.
Hindustan Times was the first to report on August 15 that Siddique was likely to be appointed Mumbai unit chief.
His father and former minister Baba Siddique was shot dead on October 12, 2024, outside Zeeshan Siddique's party office.
Siddharth Kamble resigns in protest against appointment
However, Siddique’s appointment was also mired in controversy as Siddharth Kamble, working president of Mumbai NCP, resigned from his post in protest. Kamble said he had sought the Mumbai unit president’s position from the then NCP president, Ajit Pawar, who had assured him that his request would be considered.
“Dada passed away nine months ago, and since then, we have truly felt orphaned in his absence,” Kamble wrote in his resignation, which he sent to the Maharashtra president Sunil Tatkare on Wednesday. “… after considerable thought, I have decided to step down from the responsibility entrusted to me as Mumbai Working President,” he said and added, “Whether or not I hold a position, I will continue to serve as a loyal party worker under the guidance of the respected Sunetra Vahini and Sunil Tatkare Saheb.”
{{/usCountry}}“Dada passed away nine months ago, and since then, we have truly felt orphaned in his absence,” Kamble wrote in his resignation, which he sent to the Maharashtra president Sunil Tatkare on Wednesday. “… after considerable thought, I have decided to step down from the responsibility entrusted to me as Mumbai Working President,” he said and added, “Whether or not I hold a position, I will continue to serve as a loyal party worker under the guidance of the respected Sunetra Vahini and Sunil Tatkare Saheb.”
{{/usCountry}}Kamble has been part of the NCP since its formation. He was a three-term chairman of Mumbai District Central Co-operative Bank.
Brijmohan Shrivastav challenges Umesh Patil’s appointment
At the same time, senior party leader Brijmohan Shrivastav has challenged the appointment of Umesh Patil as the new national chief spokesperson and termed it “unconstitutional”. Shrivastav has claimed that he was appointed for that position by the National Working Committee, the highest body of the party, and its decision cannot be changed by the means of appointment.
Patil is also considered a close aide of Parth Pawar.
Shrivastav has also sent a letter to the party president, Sunetra Pawar, appealing to her to withdraw the decision. “The decision taken by the National Working Committee can be changed by calling the National Working Committee’s meeting by issuing a 90-day notice, according to the constitutional provisions of the NCP.
He also shared minutes of the National Working Committee meeting in Karjat on November 30, 2023, when he was appointed as the National General Secretary and National Spokesperson for a period of five years.
Despite the discontent, Parth Pawar is likely to push ahead with further changes within the party and the state cabinet, party insiders said. He is likely to roll more heads, in the party as well as in the state cabinet, the party insiders said. It is believed that five of the NCP's nine ministers are going to be replaced with fresh faces. The party insiders said that some prominent faces may be asked to resign to make way for the new ones.
“Parth Pawar is planning a reshuffle of the NCP ministers in the state cabinet and wants to remove those who, according to him, are underperforming. He is keen on bringing new faces in the ministerial council, believing that they could deliver better results than the current ministers,” said an NCP insider.
Over the past few months, the NCP has appointed Vaishali Nagawade as president of its Maharashtra women’s wing, Nikhil Thakare as state youth wing president and Nirmala Nawale as state president of the Yuvati Congress. Ankush Kakade has also been appointed as an MLC. Party sources say these appointments are part of a series of organisational changes being driven by Parth Pawar, who is believed to have handpicked the leaders for these key positions.
Defeat in legislative council election wake-up call, Patel cautions party
Following NCP's defeat in legislative council elections, the party’s national working president, Praful Patel, urged its leadership to take the results of the five legislative council seats as a wake-up call. Patel also called for urgent introspection to rebuild trust, realign priorities and strengthen the party’s organisational structure.
His remarks came after NCP MLC Satish Chavan lost the Aurangabad Graduates’ constituency. Patel had also expressed his resentment when the party decided to leave the Pune Graduates’ constituency to the BJP as part of the seat-sharing arrangement for the legislative council elections. To make it worse for the party, both these seats were won by the rival faction, Sharad Pawar-led NCP (SP).
“Today's council election results are a clear and significant warning. To regain the people's trust, to reset the party's priorities, and to bring about reforms in the organization, an immediate and rigorous self-examination will be necessary,”Patel said in a post on X.