NCP leader Praful Patel. File | Photo credit: PTI
Union Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal’s remarks on the appointment of senior Nationalist Congress Party leader Praful Patel as the party’s new national president sparked an uproar in Maharashtra on Sunday (Feb 1, 2026), with Mr Patel denying it, calling it “completely baseless and factually incorrect”. The post has been vacant since the tragic death of party chief Ajit Pawar earlier this week.
Meanwhile, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis refuted veteran politician Sharad Pawar’s claim of merging his NCP faction with the faction earlier led by his late nephew. Mr. Sharad Pawar’s NCP-SP currently sits in the opposition, while late Ajit Pawar’s NCP is part of the ruling alliance.
Responding to a question about redistribution of portfolios, Mr. Fadnavis said that after due consultation with the NCP leadership, he has kept the finance department, which was earlier headed by junior Pawar, with him.
The NCP chief has not yet been decided
Mr. Praful Patel categorically rejected Mr. Goyal’s claim in a social media post. “The Congress Nationalist Party works on democratic principles and any decision of this nature would be taken only after due consultation with senior leaders, MLAs, office bearers and respecting the collective will and sentiments of all party members. As a national party, NCP strictly follows established procedures in such matters,” he said on his X handle on Sunday (February 1, 2026).
Mr Goyal later issued an apology saying he had been misinformed by someone.
Several NCP leaders said the decision on the national president should be made by Sunetra Pawar, the late Pawar’s widow who succeeded him as the Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra. Several leaders said she should also take up the role of NCP national president. Suresh Birasdar, NCP leader from Dharashiv, said the legislators would jointly write to Ms. Pawar about it.
CM scoffs at NCP merger rumours
Rumors of an NCP reunion continued to circulate in political circles on Sunday (February 1, 2026). NCP-SP state president Shashikant Shinde reiterated that the merger talks have been completed after 15 meetings on the issue, with an announcement to be made after February 8.
Refuting these claims, Mr. Fadnavis said he was not aware of any date for the declaration of reunification. “Ajit Dada was part of the government. NCP is an independent party that is part of the Mahayuti alliance. Could he have taken such a decision without informing us? He was stable in the government. If Ajit Dada was working on a merger, would he have done so without taking the BJP into confidence? He was preparing to leave the NDA, where he was a separate party that he considered his own, sharing everything with an independent party? The decision.
NCP state president Sunil Tatkare insisted there was no talk of a merger. “We are with the NDA and a decision has been taken to stay with it permanently. I have not taken any decision without Dada’s approval. No matter what anyone says, our role is to continue the party and the ideology given by Dada and we are firm on that stand,” he said.
NCP-SP MLA and Pawar clan member Rohit Pawar claimed that he knew many things but did not want to talk about politics 13 days after Ajit Pawar’s death.
Sunetra in Baramati
Ms Pawar, the newly appointed DCM, left Mumbai on Sunday (February 1, 2026) to return to the family home in Baramati, where she will stay for the next 10 days until the last rites for her late husband are completed, sources said. She also visited Katewadi, where her mother-in-law Asha Pawar resides.
Ajit Pawar’s sacred ashes were brought to the NCP office in Mumbai on Sunday (February 1, 2026), with the party planning to send one asthi kalash (funeral urn) to each district. “Party ministers, MLAs and district presidents will organize a public darshan after which the ashes will be immersed in rivers in the respective districts,” Mr. Tatkare said.
Ajit Pawar’s elder son Parth Pawar also visited the NCP office on Sunday and walked into his father’s booth and hugged his empty chair. “He was seen sobbing as he recalled memories of Dada. He later paid his respects. Women and Child Development Minister Aditi Tatkare also paid her respects,” the NCP said in a statement.
Published – 01 Feb 2026 22:34 IST