02 November,2026 01:39 PM IST | New Delhi | mid-day online correspondent
The delegation included Dhananjay Munde, Sunil Tatkare, Praful Patel, Hasan Mushrif, Chhagan Bhujbal and Dilip Walse Patil. Pic/X
Six senior leaders of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) on Monday met Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Delhi amid discussions within the party over its demand for the Finance Ministry portfolio in Maharashtra to be returned to the NCP.
The delegation included Dhananjay Munde, Sunil Tatkare, Praful Patel, Hasan Mushrif, Chhagan Bhujbal and Dilip Walse Patil.
The meeting triggered speculation over the party's leadership after Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister and NCP president Sunetra Pawar and MP Parth Pawar were absent from the delegation.
However, the party rejected reports that the meeting had taken place by sidelining its leadership, describing such claims as misleading and an attempt to create an impression of internal differences.
NCP Chief National Spokesperson Umesh Patil said the meeting had been scheduled in advance and was held with Sunetra Pawar's knowledge.
In a statement, Patil said Sunetra Pawar and Parth Pawar had earlier met Shah to discuss issues facing the party following the death of former Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar.
He said Sunetra Pawar had informed Shah during that meeting that a delegation of senior NCP leaders would meet him and had requested time for the discussion.
The spokesperson said the senior leaders had detailed knowledge of matters relating to Ajit Pawar's tenure, the interests of Maharashtra and issues concerning the party.
Rejecting reports that Sunetra Pawar and Parth Pawar had been excluded from the discussions, Patil said the claims were "completely false, baseless and misleading".
He said the leaders discussed issues concerning their respective constituencies during the meeting and also exchanged views on matters involving the Mahayuti alliance.
Patil said, "The Nationalist Congress Party is an important constituent of the Mahayuti alliance, and our party is functioning unitedly and with complete cohesion under the firm leadership of our National President, Sunetra Pawar."
He also urged the media to verify information before reporting on the party's internal affairs.
The meeting comes amid the NCP's demand for the Finance Ministry portfolio to be returned to the party in Maharashtra.
The party has been seeking the portfolio following Ajit Pawar's death. The absence of Sunetra Pawar and Parth Pawar from Monday's delegation had prompted questions over whether the discussions were taking place without the party's top leadership.
Patil, however, said the meeting was a formal engagement between senior leaders of alliance partners and should not be interpreted as a sign of internal discord.
An NCP core committee meeting is scheduled to be held at 4 pm on Monday at Ajit Pawar's residence, Devgiri, in Mumbai.
On Friday, Sunetra Pawar had dismissed reports of internal differences within the NCP, saying there was no rift among its leaders and that electoral defeats called for self-introspection.
"There was no rift among us, and whenever there is an election, victory and defeat happen. If there is a defeat, there is a need for self-introspection. We will definitely do self-introspection," Sunetra Pawar said.
Her remarks came days after the NCP suffered a setback in the Maharashtra Legislative Council elections. The party's candidate and three-time sitting MLC Satish Chavan lost the Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar Graduates' constituency to Pratapsinh Patil of the NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar).
In his statement, Patil accused unnamed forces of attempting to create an artificial narrative of internal differences within the party.
He said, "It appears that certain invisible forces are planting such stories in an attempt to create an artificial narrative that there are internal differences within the NCP and a lack of coordination among its leadership. This is nothing but deliberate mischief."
Patil further said, "The media should verify the facts before publishing news reports. It is not appropriate to portray a picture of internal conflict within the party based solely on speculation. Do not politicise formal meetings between leaders of alliance partners. Understand the difference between planted stories and the actual facts!"
