Six senior NCP leaders meet Amit Shah amid Finance portfolio demand; party denies internal rift

Six senior leaders of the Nationalist Congress Party NCP on Monday met Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Delhi amid discussions within the party over its demand for the Finance Ministry portfolio in Maharashtra to be returned to the NCPThe delegation included Dhananjay Munde Sunil Tatkare Praful Patel Hasan Mushrif Chhagan Bhujbal and Dilip Walse PatilThe meeting triggered speculation over the partys leadership after Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister and NCP president Sunetra Pawar and MP Parth Pawar were absent from the delegationHowever the party rejected reports that the meeting had taken place by sidelining its leadership describing such claims as misleading and an attempt to create an impression of internal differencesNCP says meeting was prescheduledNCP Chief National Spokesperson Umesh Patil said the meeting had been scheduled in advance and was held with Sunetra Pawars knowledgeIn a statement Patil said Sunetra Pawar and Parth Pawar had earlier met Shah to discuss issues facing the party following the death of former Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar mdash TV9Marathi SakalMediaNews abpmajhatv mataonline SaamanaOnline SarkarnamaNews thodkyaat LoksattaLive News18lokmat lokmat LokshahiMarathi MaxMaharashtra zee24taasnews TOIMumbai mumbaitak PuneTimesOnline TOIPune bbcnewsmarathimdash Umesh Patil umeshpatilspeak November 2 2026He said Sunetra Pawar had informed Shah during that meeting that a delegation of senior NCP leaders would meet him and had requested time for the discussionThe spokesperson said the senior leaders had detailed knowledge of matters relating to Ajit Pawars tenure the interests of Maharashtra and issues concerning the partyParty rejects claims of leadership being sidelinedRejecting reports that Sunetra Pawar and Parth Pawar had been excluded from the discussions Patil said the claims were completely false baseless and misleadingHe said the leaders discussed issues concerning their respective constituencies during the meeting and also exchanged views on matters involving the Mahayuti alliancePatil said The Nationalist Congress Party is an important constituent of the Mahayuti alliance and our party is functioning unitedly and with complete cohesion under the firm leadership of our National President Sunetra PawarHe also urged the media to verify information before reporting on the partys internal affairsFinance portfolio demand remains centralThe meeting comes amid the NCPs demand for the Finance Ministry portfolio to be returned to the party in MaharashtraThe party has been seeking the portfolio following Ajit Pawars death The absence of Sunetra Pawar and Parth Pawar from Mondays delegation had prompted questions over whether the discussions were taking place without the partys top leadershipPatil however said the meeting was a formal engagement between senior leaders of alliance partners and should not be interpreted as a sign of internal discordAn NCP core committee meeting is scheduled to be held at 4 pm on Monday at Ajit Pawars residence Devgiri in MumbaiSunetra Pawar denies internal differencesOn Friday Sunetra Pawar had dismissed reports of internal differences within the NCP saying there was no rift among its leaders and that electoral defeats called for selfintrospectionThere was no rift among us and whenever there is an election victory and defeat happen If there is a defeat there is a need for selfintrospection We will definitely do selfintrospection Sunetra Pawar saidHer remarks came days after the NCP suffered a setback in the Maharashtra Legislative Council elections The partys candidate and threetime sitting MLC Satish Chavan lost the Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar Graduates constituency to Pratapsinh Patil of the NCP Sharadchandra PawarNCP spokesperson alleges deliberate misinformationIn his statement Patil accused unnamed forces of attempting to create an artificial narrative of internal differences within the partyHe said It appears that certain invisible forces are planting such stories in an attempt to create an artificial narrative that there are internal differences within the NCP and a lack of coordination among its leadership This is nothing but deliberate mischiefPatil further said The media should verify the facts before publishing news reports It is not appropriate to portray a picture of internal conflict within the party based solely on speculation Do not politicise formal meetings between leaders of alliance partners Understand the difference between planted stories and the actual facts