In a significant internal dispute within the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), National Secretary Sachchidanand Singh has legally contested the legitimacy of the internal organisational elections that led to Sunetra Ajit Pawar becoming the National President. Singh issued a legal notice on July 9 to top party officials, including National President Sunetra Ajit Pawar, National Working President Praful Patel, and National General Secretary Brijmohan Shrivastav, questioning the validity of the election process.
The legal challenge reveals a deep division in the party’s internal power structure following the death of former leader Ajit Pawar earlier this year. Singh claimed that proper constitutional procedures were not followed after Patel was supposed to temporarily take over as National President. Instead, a resolution was passed by Shrivastav on February 18, 2026, calling for a National Convention and initiating the election process, ultimately leading to Sunetra Ajit Pawar’s appointment as the National President.
Singh’s legal notice alleges several violations of the NCP Party Constitution, including the unauthorized convening of a National Convention by a General Secretary, the absence of an independent Central Election Authority, and the disregard for essential election procedures such as candidate nominations, official candidate lists, and voting through a secret ballot.
Singh has set a 15-day deadline for the party leadership to meet specific demands, including withdrawing all communications to the Election Commission, declaring the election of Sunetra Ajit Pawar as null and void, and conducting fresh organisational elections in accordance with the Party Constitution. Failure to comply may lead to further legal action, hinting at a potential legal battle ahead.
