Maharashtra’s ruling Nationalist Congress Party heads into a decisive evening on Tuesday, with Deputy Chief Minister and party chief Sunetra Pawar calling her MLAs to Mumbai for a meeting that will test whether the party is as united as its leaders insist. The meeting at her official residence, Devgiri, comes barely 48 hours after six senior NCP leaders flew to Delhi and sat down with Union Home Minister Amit Shah, a visit that set off speculation the party has spent two days trying to shut down.
The timing is what makes Tuesday’s gathering matter. It is the first meeting of NCP MLAs in nearly four months, and it follows closed-door conversations that began the moment the Delhi delegation returned to Mumbai on Monday. Who turns up, and what is agreed in that room, will be read across Maharashtra as a measure of Sunetra Pawar’s command over a party still finding its footing after a shattering loss this year.
What triggered the buzz
On Sunday, six senior NCP leaders met Shah in New Delhi: Praful Patel, state president Sunil Tatkare, Dilip Walse Patil, Hassan Mushrif, Chhagan Bhujbal and Dhananjay Munde. The delegation raised two issues, according to Tatkare: better coordination between the NCP and the other Mahayuti constituents, and the finance portfolio.
Finance is the emotional core of this story. The portfolio was held by Ajit Pawar until his death in a plane crash in January this year. Since then, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has retained it, and the NCP wants it back. Tatkare confirmed after Monday night’s core committee meeting that the finance question was raised with Shah, adding that the party itself would decide who should handle the ministry.
What fuelled the speculation was an absence, not a presence. Neither Sunetra Pawar nor her sons, Parth Pawar and Jay Pawar, were part of the Delhi delegation. In a party where leadership questions have simmered since Ajit Pawar’s death, that gap was enough to start talk of a rift, of sidelining, and even of a merger with the Sharad Pawar-led NCP (SP).
The party’s pushback
The NCP’s response has been swift and blunt. On Monday, the party dismissed reports of internal differences, reaffirmed its confidence in Sunetra Pawar’s leadership, and ruled out any merger with the NCP (SP).
“There is no discontent within the party. The Delhi meeting was pre-planned; all our leaders are united,” Tatkare said, in remarks reported by NDTV. National chief spokesperson Umesh Patil added that Sunetra Pawar had herself met Shah earlier and asked him to give the senior leaders an appointment, so the Delhi meeting happened at her instance, not behind her back.
On their return to Mumbai on Monday, the Delhi delegation held closed-door discussions at Bhujbal’s residence, followed by a core committee meeting that night. Tatkare said that meeting discussed strengthening the party organisation, the drought situation in Maharashtra, and the responsibilities of legislators.
Why Tuesday evening matters
Tuesday’s meeting is where the denials meet their test. Reports say MLAs and MPs, along with the party organisation’s top leaders, have been asked to attend, and that party functioning, state and central politics, and the issues raised by discontented leaders are on the table. One report said some senior leaders have complained about a lack of transparency and about the functioning of young leader Parth Pawar, a charge the party has not publicly engaged with.
The backdrop is unforgiving. The NCP recently lost the Aurangabad Graduates seat in the Maharashtra Legislative Council elections, a constituency it had held for 18 years. For a party trying to prove it remains a force in the Mahayuti, every public display of unity or division carries weight well beyond one evening’s meeting.
What to watch next
- Attendance: A full house at Devgiri would undercut the rift narrative more effectively than any statement.
- The finance question: Whether the party names a candidate for the portfolio, or leaves the decision open-ended.
- The official line: What senior leaders say on camera after the meeting, and whether the messaging stays consistent.
- Delhi’s signal: Any indication from the BJP leadership on the finance demand Shah heard first-hand on Sunday.
For now, the NCP’s official position is clear: no rift, no merger, one leader. By Tuesday night, Maharashtra will have a better sense of whether that holds in the room where it counts.
FAQs
Why has Sunetra Pawar called a meeting of NCP MLAs?
She has called MLAs to her Mumbai residence on Tuesday evening, days after senior leaders met Amit Shah in Delhi, amid speculation about internal differences and the finance portfolio demand.
Who met Amit Shah in Delhi?
Six senior NCP leaders: Praful Patel, Sunil Tatkare, Dilip Walse Patil, Hassan Mushrif, Chhagan Bhujbal and Dhananjay Munde. They discussed Mahayuti coordination and the finance portfolio.
Why does the NCP want the finance portfolio?
The portfolio was held by Ajit Pawar until his death in a plane crash in January this year. It is currently retained by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, and the NCP wants it returned to the party.
What else is worrying the NCP?
The party recently lost the Aurangabad Graduates council seat after holding it for 18 years, and Maharashtra’s drought situation was also discussed at Monday night’s core committee meeting.
Sunetra Pawar meets NCP MLAs in Mumbai on Tuesday evening. The party says it is united under her leadership; the evening will show how far that claim travels.
