Amid mounting political speculation, NCP leader Parth Pawar on Thursday dismissed allegations against senior party figures Praful Patel and Sunil Tatkare, calling them “baseless and speculative”.
In a statement, Parth Pawar said the reports suggesting that Patel and Tatkare attempted to take control of the party following the death of former Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar were “nothing but fiction”. He alleged that efforts were being made to drag the two leaders into “manufactured controversies”.
Highlighting their long-standing contributions, Parth Pawar said both Patel and Tatkare have demonstrated decades of commitment and leadership within the party, adding that such unfounded allegations were deeply unfortunate.
The clarification comes amid reports of internal tensions within the party, including speculation that Deputy Chief Minister Sunetra Pawar was unhappy with the two leaders.
Earlier, NCP (SP) leader Rohit Pawar had claimed that Sunetra Pawar wrote to the Election Commission of India on March 10, informing it of her appointment as party president and requesting that any previous communications sent after Ajit Pawar’s death on January 28 be disregarded.
According to Rohit Pawar, Patel and Tatkare had written to the poll body on February 16, stating that amendments had been made to the party constitution, granting powers to Praful Patel as working president. He alleged that this move was aimed at taking control of the party.
Adding to the speculation, a letter purportedly written by Sunetra Pawar has surfaced on social media, in which Patel and Tatkare are mentioned without official designations, raising questions about their roles within the organisation.
NCP spokespersons have not issued an official response regarding the developments.
Meanwhile, Sunetra Pawar visited Delhi on Thursday to attend the final day of the Budget session of Parliament. Notably, neither Patel nor Tatkare accompanied her, further fuelling political speculation.
