MUMBAI: The Nationalist Congress Party (Sharad Pawar faction) has firmly rejected recent media reports suggesting that there is an internal demand for the removal of Jayant Patil as the party’s Maharashtra unit head. State spokesperson Pravin Kunte described these reports as “baseless” and asserted that they were intended to tarnish Patil’s reputation.
The controversy emerged following a two-day meeting held by the NCP (SP) in Mumbai, which was convened to address the party’s underwhelming performance in the Maharashtra Assembly elections held in November 2024. In these elections, the NCP (SP) secured only 10 out of the nearly 90 seats it contested in the 288-member state assembly.
During the Mumbai meeting, party chief Sharad Pawar, working president Supriya Sule, and state head Jayant Patil were present. Post-meeting, certain media outlets reported that there were calls within the party to replace Patil due to the electoral setback. Kunte clarified that apart from a few office-bearers, the issue of leadership change was not raised during the meeting. He emphasized that the dissemination of such misleading information was a deliberate attempt to malign Patil’s image.
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This development comes amid ongoing political tensions within the NCP (SP). Earlier, in May 2023, Jayant Patil was questioned for over nine hours by the Enforcement Directorate in connection with the IL&FS case, leading to allegations of political vendetta from opposition parties.
Additionally, in July 2024, Patil and party MP Amol Kolhe launched a campaign criticizing the performance of the Mahayuti government, which includes leaders from the Shiv Sena, BJP, and NCP (Ajit Pawar faction). They released a booklet highlighting the government’s alleged failures in governance, financial management, and job creation.
Despite these challenges, the NCP (SP) leadership remains steadfast in its support for Jayant Patil, dismissing any notions of his ouster as unfounded and politically motivated.
Source: Web Team, C6N
