Sunetra Pawar has called NCP legislators to her Mumbai residence after senior leaders met Amit Shah. The meeting, scheduled after a gap of nearly four months, comes amid reports of differences within the party following the death of former Deputy Chief Minister, and her husband, Ajit Pawar.Sunetra Pawar calls NCP MLAs' meet amid merger buzz, questions over party leadership Pune,Nov 2, 2026 20:15 ISTMaharashtra Deputy Chief Minister and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sunetra Pawar has called a meeting of party MLAs at her official residence, Devgiri, in Mumbai on Tuesday evening, amid speculation over internal differences and a possible power tussle within the party.

The meeting, being held after a gap of nearly four months, comes amid questions over the party's leadership and its political direction following the death of former Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar in a plane crash in January.The meeting assumes significance as several senior NCP leaders met Union Home Minister Amit Shah in New Delhi on Sunday, triggering speculation about a possible merger of the two NCP factions. The absence of Sunetra Pawar, her sons Parth Pawar and Jay Pawar from the meeting also raised questions in political circles.However, the party has rejected reports suggesting that its leadership was being sidelined or that the meeting reflected internal differences.NCP LEADERS MEET SHAH, MERGER SPECULATIONNCP national general secretary Praful Patel, Maharashtra unit president Sunil Tatkare, Dilip Walse Patil, Hassan Mushrif, Chhagan Bhujbal and Dhananjay Munde were among the senior leaders who met Shah in Delhi on Sunday.

Some media reports suggested that the discussions centred on a possible merger of the two NCP factions, allegedly without Sunetra Pawar and her son, Rajya Sabha MP Parth Pawar, being involved.The leaders returned to Mumbai on Monday and held a series of closed-door discussions at the residence of state minister Chhagan Bhujbal. Senior NCP leader Dilip Walse Patil confirmed that the delegation had returned from Delhi and said the party's core group would meet before holding discussions with Sunetra Pawar. "The core group will meet now and DCM Sunetra Pawar in the evening," Walse Patil told PTI.NCP DENIES INTERNAL DIFFERENCESSeeking to quell speculation of a rift, NCP national chief spokesperson Umesh Patil dismissed reports claiming that Sunetra Pawar and Parth Pawar had been sidelined during the meeting with Shah.

He described such claims as "incorrect, baseless and misleading".Patil said Sunetra Pawar and Parth Pawar had earlier met Shah and held detailed discussions on various issues concerning the party following Ajit Pawar's death. During that meeting, Sunetra Pawar had personally informed the Union Home Minister that a delegation of senior party leaders wanted to meet him and had requested him to spare time for the interaction.According to Patil, the senior leaders possessed extensive knowledge of important matters from Ajit Pawar's tenure, issues concerning Maharashtra's interests and organisational matters relating to the party.

Sunday's meeting was a pre-planned interaction in that context, he said.The leaders also raised issues concerning their respective constituencies and exchanged views on matters of mutual interest, Patil added.Rejecting allegations of a lack of coordination within the party, he said the NCP remained united under Sunetra Pawar's leadership and continued to be an important constituent of the Mahayuti alliance.Patil also cautioned against giving political meaning to formal meetings between leaders of alliance partners, urging the media to verify facts before reporting on the party. "Speculation should not be portrayed as fact," he said.FINANCE PORTFOLIO DEMAND, MLC POLL SETBACKThe developments come against the backdrop of the NCP's demand for the Finance portfolio, which was held by Ajit Pawar until his death in a plane crash in January this year.The party has also faced a setback in the recent Maharashtra Legislative Council elections, losing the Aurangabad Graduates' constituency, which it had held for 18 years.These developments have added to the questions surrounding the NCP's organisational and political position within the ruling Mahayuti alliance.- EndsWith agency inputs