Ajit Pawar elected NCP president on June 30, group tells Election Commission

Maharashtra deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar-led NCP has informed the Election Commission that he has been elected national president of the party.

A statement issued on Wednesday on behalf of the Ajit Pawar-led faction said the Election Commission has been informed through an affidavit that he was elected NCP chief through a resolution dated June 30, 2023, signed by an "overwhelming majority" of members of NCP, both from the legislative and organisational wing.

Praful Patel continues to be NCP working president, the release said.

The NCP has also decided to appoint Ajit Pawar as the leader of the NCP Legislative Party in the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly and this decision was also ratified by the resolution passed by an overwhelming majority of NCP MLAs, the statement said.

“An attempt is being made by certain elements within the NCP to spread a sense of fear and confusion amongst the elected representatives of the NCP and also the party cadre working in different organisational posts of NCP,” the release said.

“The earlier appointment of Jayant Patil as the state president of Maharashtra NCP was patently illegal since the same was done without following any procedure mandated by the constitution of NCP,” it said.

Praful Patel, in his capacity as the working president of NCP, has removed Patil from the post and appointed Sunil Tatkare as state NCP president, the statement said.

“The National President as well as all the other office bearers of the party were appointed in an alleged National Convention dated 10th/11th September 2022. The said appointment is itself a void and ab initio since there is absolutely no record of the persons who attended the national convention and voted in favour of Shri Sharad Pawar,” the statement said.

The factional fight of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) has reached the doorstep of the Election Commission with the group led by Ajit Pawar filing over 40 affidavits of MLAs and MPs in his support.

The Sharad Pawar camp has filed a caveat with the poll authority urging it to hear them first before passing any directive in connection with the factional fight, Election Commission sources said.

The Election Commission is likely to process applications in the coming days and ask both sides to exchange the respective documents submitted before it.

The NCP, founded by Sharad Pawar in 1999, witnessed a split on Sunday with Ajit Pawar, claiming the support of over 40 MLAs and joining the Shiv Sena-BJP coalition government in Maharashtra.

Nine NCP MLAs, including Ajit Pawar, were sworn-in as ministers in the Maharashtra government at a surprise cabinet expansion on Sunday.

Ajit Pawar, with senior party leaders Praful Patel, Chhagan Bhujbal, Dilip Walse Patil by his side, asserted to be the real NCP.

Sharad Pawar also asserted to be the real NCP, and expelled Patel and Lok Sabha member Sunil Tatkare from the party. His faction also wrote to Maharashtra Assembly Speaker Rahul Narwekar seeking to disqualify the nine MLAs who were sworn-in as ministers.