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NCP leader Praful Patel asserted that Sunetra Pawar is set to take over the party’s top post in the next fortnight.
Maharashtra Deputy CM Sunetra Pawar. (File photo)
The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) is likely to get a new national president within the next two weeks, with Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Sunetra Pawar emerging as the sole candidate for the post.
According to party sources, the NCP is working on completing the formalities to elect new national president. As per the procedure, the party’s national executive committee will be convened, where the leadership question is expected to be taken up and a decision formally endorsed.
Meanwhile, senior NCP leader Praful Patel asserted that Sunetra Pawar is set to take over the party’s top post in the next fortnight.
While speaking to news agency PTI, Patel said following the death of Ajit Pawar, the immediate priority was to strengthen the party’s organisation and consolidate recent electoral gains.. The Deputy Chief Minister is the sole candidate for the post and will formally take over as the party’s national chief soon, he told reporters.
“Let us first focus on rallying behind Sunetra Pawar and complete the procedures within the party. We are also going to focus on strengthening the base of the party in the state in the coming period,” Patel said as quoted by the news agency.
The NCP has performed strongly in recent local body elections, securing a notable victory in the Pune Zilla Parishad and making gains in Kolhapur and several panchayat samitis.
Meanwhile, Patel declined to comment on speculation regarding a possible merger between the NCP and the Nationalist Congress Party (Sharad Pawar faction). Recently, NCP (SP) Lok Sabha MP Supriya Sule had stated in Delhi that merger talks had been underway with Ajit Pawar, but said there was little point in pursuing the matter following his sudden demise.
The development came in the aftermath of the sudden death of Ajit Pawar, who was serving as the NCP’s national president as well as Maharashtra’s Deputy Chief Minister.
The 66-year-old leader died in a plane crash in his hometown Baramati on January 28, a tragedy that has left a leadership vacuum and triggered intense deliberations over the party’s future course.
(With inputs from agencies)
February 13, 2026, 19:37 IST
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