Mumbai: As the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) completed 26 years Tuesday, both factions of the party, one led by founder Sharad Pawar and the other by nephew Ajit Pawar, kicked off their campaign for the local body polls to be held across Maharashtra this year.
The NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar) talked of bringing in a new leadership and promoting young faces in positions of responsibility, as its state president, Jayant Patil, made a public appeal to be relieved of the post.
The Ajit Pawar-led NCP, meanwhile, launched a mega membership drive, aiming to add one crore members to the party. Ajit Pawar warned all ministers, MLAs and functionaries to avoid stirring controversies with their words and that he will not tolerate factionalism within the party.
Both Sharad and Ajit Pawar also unequivocally said that any decisions about alliances at different places will be taken in consultation with the local leadership of that district, even as they steered clear of indicating any possibility of reuniting.
The NCP split in 2023 when Ajit Pawar walked out with a majority of MLAs and joined the ruling Mahayuti with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena. He is now Deputy CM in the Devendra Fadnavis-led Mahayuti government.
Over the past two months, the two leaders have not only toned down their criticism of each other, but have also had a series of meetings for different reasons. The senior Pawar last month stoked talks of the uncle-nephew pair coming together, saying that some leaders are of the opinion that they should reunite and that any decision would rest with his MP daughter, Supriya Sule.
Speaking to his party leaders and functionaries at Pune Tuesday, Sharad Pawar said, “Jayant rao (Jayant Patil) has told me to give leadership to the new generation. I would only like to say that we will have a conversation with the senior leadership and take a decision. While doing so, we will ensure that in every district, every taluka, the new generation leadership will grow.”
“Let’s give all the thousands of karyakartas an opportunity, guide them and show that the NCP can create leaders who can run the state,” he added.
In another function Tuesday afternoon in Pune, Deputy CM Pawar said, “In the next few months 28 corporations, 25 MPs, 285 panchayat samitis and many nagar palikas and nagar panchayats are going for elections. All the karyakartas with whose support we have become MLAs, MLCs, ministers should get various responsibilities.”
“While working, we don’t want any groups and factionalism. We don’t want any factions. We want to strengthen the NCP administration. We are all one. This is our family,” he added.
Both factions of the NCP had their functions in Pune.
Pune, which is close to the Baramati town from where the Pawar family hails, has been the urban centre where the NCP’s grip has been the strongest. The undivided NCP had ruled the Pune Municipal Corporation from 2007 to 2017 when the BJP dislodged the party from its bastion and took the reins of the civic body.
As part of his party’s one-crore membership drive, Ajit Pawar set a target for 10 lakh new members to be inducted in the Pune district itself.
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Ajit Pawar’s jibe at Shinde-led Shiv Sena
During his speech Tuesday, Deputy CM Pawar took a veiled jibe at leaders from the ruling Shinde-led Shiv Sena.
“Some people are trying to defame us deliberately after our government has come to power. Someone made a statement saying I have been unjust to the social justice department,” Ajit Pawar said, elaborating on the work he has done for the welfare of different groups of people across caste and class in the state.
राष्ट्रवादी काँग्रेस पक्षाच्या २६ व्या वर्धापन दिनानिमित्त आयोजित कार्यक्रमात उपस्थितांना संबोधित केलं. वर्धापन दिनाच्या सर्वांना मनापासून शुभेच्छा दिल्या. आज प्रचंड संख्येनं सगळे या ठिकाणी उपस्थित राहिले तसंच राज्यासह संपूर्ण देशात राष्ट्रवादी काँग्रेस पक्षाचे… pic.twitter.com/Wl2I1aF2sJ
— Ajit Pawar (@AjitPawarSpeaks) June 10, 2025
The statement was in the context of allegations by Sanjay Shirsat, a minister from the Shinde-led Shiv Sena who heads the social justice department. Shirsat had indirectly referred to Ajit Pawar as the “shakuni” of the finance department after the deputy CM decided to dip into the funds of the social justice department for a portion of the payouts for the Mahayuti’s flagship Ladki Bahin scheme.
Shirsat had also alleged that the finance department had not allocated his department as much budget as the norms prescribe.
“Some people complain that Ajit Pawar doesn’t give money. It is not my money in my pocket to hoard,” Deputy CM Pawar said, explaining how he has been releasing funds to all departments as per the norms.
With one minister from his party, Dhananjay Munde, having had to resign, and another, Manikrao Kokate, having often made headlines due to his allegedly objectionable statements, Ajit Pawar warned his party’s rank and file to steer clear of anything that might stir problems for the party.
“If you hear something that’s slightly odd, establish contact immediately. Sometimes spokespersons and MLAs say things about which they know nothing. They should just see if the senior leadership will talk on this. We don’t want to create new issues. I am constantly keeping an eye on every office bearer,” Ajit Pawar said.
He also warned that there would be changes in the administrative structure of the party wherever it is not functioning effectively.
Sharad Pawar’s pitch for young leadership
Jayant Patil, who heads the Sharad Pawar-led NCP’s Maharashtra unit, sprung a surprise on the party’s cadre by announcing his intention to step down as the state party president.
“Pawar saheb gave me this opportunity. Gave me a seven-year term. But eventually, it is important to give fresh faces a chance in the party. So, in front of all of you, I will only make this one request to saheb,” Patil said. He added, the decision finally rests with senior Pawar.
In the corridors of power, there have been talks since before the state assembly polls last year that Patil might defect to the Mahayuti. However, he has often dismissed these talks as rumours.
बालगंधर्व रंगमंदिर, पुणे येथे आयोजित ‘राष्ट्रवादी काँग्रेस पार्टी – शरदचंद्र पवार’ पक्षाच्या २६ वर्धापन दिन सोहळ्यात सर्व सहकाऱ्यांना शुभेच्छा दिल्या व उपस्थितांना संबोधित केलं.
प्रांताध्यक्ष जयंतराव पाटील, अतिशय थोड्या दिवसांमध्ये हा आजचा सोहळा आयोजित करण्यासाठी ज्यांनी कष्ट… pic.twitter.com/CHLtKuRzdd
— Sharad Pawar (@PawarSpeaks) June 10, 2025
Taking cue from Patil’s statement, Sharad Pawar announced that the senior leadership will sit together and take a decision, but vowed to create a new rung of young leaders who the state’s population can find capable of handling the reins of the Maharashtra government. Ever since the split, Sharad Pawar has often spoken about promoting young leaders within his party.
As he reminisced about the day he founded the NCP with a handful of colleagues, Sharad Pawar said he “never thought the party would split”.
“But, despite that, you continued working without losing spirit,” the octogenarian said to his party workers, adding he was optimistic about the upcoming elections changing the political landscape.
(Edited by Sanya Mathur)
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