No rift in NCP, Sachchidanand Singh’s letter carries no weight: Praful Patel

Nationalist Congress Party national working president Praful Patel on Tuesday (July 14, 2026) said that there is no rift in the party and the letter written by NCP national secretary Sachchidanand Singh objecting to the election of Sunetra Pawar as party president carries no weight.

Mr Singh created a stir by claiming that the election held on February 26 this year was unconstitutional and could be declared “null, void and void”. A legal notice was issued by a Delhi-based law firm on behalf of Mr Singh on July 9.

Reacting to the notice, Mr Patel said: PTI: “There is no rift in the party. All senior party leaders are meeting Sunetra Pawar to discuss political issues. The letter written by Sachchidanand Singh has no weight. Any issues should be resolved amicably in the interest of the party.”

The notice sent to Maharashtra Deputy CM and NCP chief Sunetra Pawar, Praful Patel and party general secretary Brijmohan Shrivastav alleged that the election process was initiated without complying with the mandatory provisions of the NCP constitution and without giving proper notice to the delegates and office holders.

According to the notification, after the demise of then NCP president Ajit Pawar on January 28, the party had informed the Election Commission that Praful Patel would serve as the acting national president until a new chief is elected.

The court alleged that Shrivastav then convened the national convention and set in motion the election process despite having no constitutional authority.

“No properly constituted central electoral authority, returning officer or election calendar was put in place in accordance with the party constitution. Delegates were denied the opportunity to nominate, contest or vote,” the statement said. The statement was included.

Mr Singh sought withdrawal of party correspondence sent to the Election Commission on February 28, March 10 and April 29 this year, recording the election and office holders, and demanded a fresh organizational election be held under an independent electoral authority.

The notification gave the party leadership 15 days to comply with the demands, failing which the petitioner reserved the right to initiate further legal action.

A day earlier, NCP spokesperson Suraj Chavan had claimed that Singh was present at the national convention on February 26 and voted for Sunetra Pawar by raising his hand.

“All rules were followed in their selection,” Mr. Chavan added.

Praful Patel on Monday said it was difficult to fill the void created by Ajit Pawar’s death, even as he stressed that the NCP must take “corrective steps” to remain relevant in Maharashtra and national politics.

Internal debates came to the fore after the party submitted the revised list of national offices and executive committee members to the Election Commission of India.

The names of Praful Patel and Maharashtra NCP chief Sunil Tatkare were reportedly either omitted or shown without their official names; The party later attributed this to a typo.