File photo of NCP leader Praful Patel | Photo credit: PTI-
Former Union minister and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) working president Praful Patel said on Tuesday (February 3, 2026) that he is not contesting for the post of NCP national president. This responsibility should be handed over to Sunetra Pawar, wife of late NCP leader Ajit Pawar, Mr Patel said.
Mr Patel met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah in New Delhi on Tuesday to discuss the situation in Maharashtra, highly placed sources told The Hindu.
Sunetra Pawar, who was recently sworn in as the Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra, is scheduled to visit New Delhi after the state cabinet meeting on February 10. He is then likely to meet Mr Modi and Mr Shah, the sources said.
“Has anyone from my side talked about my name (as national president)? Some people pushed it. Someone gave (Union commerce minister) Piyush Goyal wrong information and he retracted it,” Mr Patel told reporters in New Delhi on Tuesday.
The former minister was speaking a day after a political storm erupted over the possibility of him becoming the next national chairman of the party. In a condolence meeting held at the party office, he also said that the post should be given to Ms. Sunetra Pawar.
Mr Patel denied any talk of a merger between the NCP and the NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar or SP).
Mr Patel slammed the opposition against the appointment of Ms Sunetra Pawar as Legislature Party leader and Deputy Chief Minister within four days of the tragic death of Ajit Pawar in a plane crash, saying it was an internal party decision.
“Dada (as the late Ajit Pawar was known) always believed that life must go on. We are all sad. The entire state is in mourning. But we are grateful that Sunetra Pawar considered our plea and respected it. She came to Mumbai after mourning with her family for three days. Ajit Pawar has been our key leader since the party was founded. He became the National President of the Sunetra Party… Our party took oath as Deputy Chief Minister in the same the day NCP chooses as its leader is our internal question,” Mr. Patel said.
No fusion
Mr. Patel denied any talk of a merger between the NCP and the NCP(SP). When pressed, he said the priority was to focus on his own party and its internal affairs. “Our party, our house, our legislative party is our priority. Merger is not an issue before us,” Mr Patel said.
Slams Raj Thackeray, Raut
“I am the working president of NCP. After Ajit Pawar, it is my responsibility to put things in order. We will complete the internal process for appointment as national president (NCP) and we will do it. Is it right for people from other parties who did not even fight the election to make claims about us? If anyone makes a statement about us, they should be ashamed,” he said in an apparent allusion to (NCP) chief Raja M MaharyNS. Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) MP Sanjay Raut.
“Is he (Raj Thackeray) from my side? What is my relationship (with him)? Should he decide who should be our leader? No Raj Thackeray – no one else – can say anything. I am a public representative elected by the people. Those who never got a single vote from the people should not say anything. They should be ashamed,” Mr Patel said.
Published – 03 Feb 2026 22:15 IST
