Fresh churn in both NCP factions after late-night meetings with CM Devendra Fadnavis

4 min readMumbaiUpdated: Jul 15, 2026 12:36 AM IST

The meetings come at a time when the Sharad Pawar-led NCP (SP) is confronting its biggest strategic dilemma since Ajit Pawar split the undivided NCP and joined the BJP-led Mahayuti in July 2023. (File Photo)

Late-night meetings between senior leaders from both factions of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Tuesday reignited speculation over Sharad Pawar’s next move, with both camps simultaneously grappling with questions over their political future.

The Indian Express has learnt that NCP (SP) state president Jayant Patil first met Sharad Pawar at his south Mumbai residence, Silver Oak, before meeting Fadnavis later in the evening. Separately, ruling NCP leaders Sunil Tatkare and Praful Patel also met the Chief Minister.

Neither the leaders who attended the meetings nor the Chief Minister’s Office commented on what was discussed. Sources in both the ruling NCP and the NCP (SP) said they were unaware of the agenda.

The meetings come at a time when the Sharad Pawar-led NCP (SP) is confronting its biggest strategic dilemma since Ajit Pawar split the undivided NCP and joined the BJP-led Mahayuti in July 2023. Sources had earlier told The Indian Express that at least half of the NCP (SP)’s 10 MLAs favour joining the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA), arguing that remaining in the Opposition has made it increasingly difficult to secure development funds and administrative clearances for their constituencies.

Jayant Patil had recently conveyed this sentiment to party legislators, saying a significant section of the MLAs was inclined towards the NDA. Sharad Pawar, however, has so far remained silent and has not publicly indicated the party’s next course.

Although the NCP (SP), with 10 MLAs in the Assembly and eight Lok Sabha MPs, is the smallest among Maharashtra’s six major political parties, its parliamentary strength has assumed significance at a time when the BJP-led NDA is looking to bolster its numbers ahead of key legislation, including the proposed delimitation Bill. Party leaders believe the NDA would be open to support from smaller parties such as the NCP (SP).

But the churn is no longer confined to the Sharad Pawar camp. According to leaders in both NCP factions, the fact that the NCP (SP) has publicly weighed options ranging from a merger with the Congress to an understanding with the NDA, without first pursuing a reconciliation with the Ajit Pawar-led party, has intensified discussions within the ruling NCP over its political positioning and Sunetra Pawar’s leadership.

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Tuesday night’s meetings followed a legal notice issued a day earlier by former NCP national secretary Sachchidanand Singh challenging Sunetra Pawar’s election as party president and alleging irregularities in the organisational poll process. On Monday, Maharashtra NCP president Sunil Tatkare dismissed the notice as “baseless”, asserted that the party was united behind Sunetra Pawar’s leadership and said a core committee would decide its legal response.

But the notice has also brought into the open unease within a section of the ruling NCP, with party sources attributing it to growing discontent over the perceived influence of Rajya Sabha MP Parth Pawar in organisational affairs.

The renewed speculation marks another turn in a political story that has ebbed and flowed since the July 2023 split. Ahead of and immediately after the BMC election results this year in January, there was widespread speculation that the two NCP factions could reunite. That buzz, however, faded after Ajit Pawar’s death in late January. It resurfaced over the past two weeks, first around the possibility of the NCP (SP) merging with the Congress, a move that party sources said met resistance within the state Congress, before quickly shifting to the possibility of a section of the party joining the NDA instead.

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Alok Deshpande is a Special Correspondent with The Indian Express' Mumbai bureau, recognized for his focused and authoritative reporting on governance, politics, and the socio-economic dynamics of Maharashtra's hinterlands. His unique academic background in Geology and early work in the water sector provides a specialized layer of Expertise to his reporting on resource and environmental issues.

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Devendra Fadnavis

Devendra Fadnavis government

Mumbai

National Democratic Alliance

Nationalist Congress Party

Sharad Pawar