NCP national working president Praful Patel on Tuesday said there was no division in the party and the letter written by NCP national secretary Satchidanand Singh, who challenged the election of Sunetra Pawar as party president, had no weight.
Singh created a stir, claiming that the elections held on February 26 this year were unconstitutional and could be declared “null, void and illegitimate”. A legal notice was issued by a Delhi-based law firm on behalf of Singh on July 9.
Read also | Legal challenge to Sunetra Pawar’s leadership of NCP
Reacting to the notice, Patel told PTI: “There is no division in the party. All senior leaders of the party are meeting with Sunetra Pawar to discuss political issues. The letter written by Satchidanand Singh does not carry any weight. Any issue should be resolved amicably in the interest of the party.”
The notice addressed to Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister and NCP chief Sunetra Pawar, Praful Patel and party general secretary Brijmohan Shrivastav alleged that the election process was initiated without following the mandatory provisions of the NCP constitution and without proper notice to the delegates and office bearers.
According to the notice, after the death of then NCP president Ajit Pawar on January 28, the party informed the Election Commission that Praful Patel would serve as acting national president until a new president is elected.
Read also | Sharad Pawar’s NCP has ended merger talks with the Sunetra Pawar-led faction of the party
It alleged that Shrivastav then convened the national conference and launched the electoral process despite lacking the constitutional authority to do so.
“No duly constituted central electoral authority, returning officer, or election schedule has been established as required under the party constitution. Delegates have been denied the opportunity to nominate candidates, contest or vote,” the notice said.
Singh demanded withdrawal of the party communications he sent to the Election Commission on February 28, March 10 and April 29 this year, which registered the elections and office bearers, and sought fresh organizational elections under independent election authority.
Read also | Amid the UBT crisis, independent MLC Kiran Sarnaik has joined Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena
The notice gave the party leadership 15 days to comply with the demands, failing which the petitioner reserves the right to initiate further legal action.
A day earlier, NCP spokesperson Suraj Chavan claimed that Singh was present at the national conference on February 26 and voted for Sunetra Pawar by raising his hand.
“All rules were followed in her election,” Chavan added.
Praful Patel on Monday said it is difficult to fill the void created by Ajit Pawar’s death, even as he stressed that the “corrective steps” taken by the NCP remain relevant in Maharashtra and national politics.
Internal discussions gained attention after the party submitted a revised list of names of national office bearers and executive committee members to the Election Commission of India.
The names of Praful Patel and Maharashtra NCP chief Sunil Tatkare were reportedly omitted or displayed without their official designations, which the party later attributed to a typo.
