Praful Patel, Tatkare sought to take over NCP after Ajit Pawar’s death, wrote to EC: Rohit Pawar

Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) MLA Rohit Pawar on Wednesday, March 25, 2026, claimed that NCP leaders Praful Patel and Sunil Tatkare had written to the Election Commission and alleged that amendments had been made to the party constitution as part of a “premeditated plan” to give sweeping powers to working president Mr Patel.

At a press conference in Mumbai, she said that Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Sunetra Pawar later wrote to the Commission asking that such correspondence not be taken into consideration during her transition period as NCP chief following the death of her husband Ajit Pawar.

The then Deputy Prime Minister and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Ajit Pawar died in a plane crash near Baramati airstrip in Pune district on January 28.

Four days after his death, his wife Sunetra Pawar took oath as Deputy CM and named the NCP’s new national president on February 26.

“Just 18 days after Ajit Pawar’s death, Praful Patel, Sunil Tatkare (both NCP MPs) and Brijmohan Srivastava wrote to the EC on February 16, claiming amendments to the party constitution – falsely – and demanding that all powers be given to the working president, who is Praful Patel,” Mr. Pawar said.

“Neither Sunetra Pawar nor [her elder son] Parth Pawar was given confidence. “After becoming the national president, Sunetra Pawar appeared to have learned about this and wrote to the EC requesting that any correspondence between January 28 and the date she assumed office should be disregarded,” he alleged.

The MLA referred to documents dated March 10 and February 26 allegedly submitted to the EC with the signatures of Mr Patel and Mr Tatkare; He himself claimed that in the absence of a national president, all power would be given to the national working president and all decisions would be taken by him.

“The letter effectively concentrated all powers in the working president,” he claimed, adding that Ms. Pawar later wrote to the EC saying such ad-hoc correspondence should be ignored until he formally takes over as the national president.

Terming Union Minister Piyush Goyal’s statements, first claiming that Praful Patel was the party president and later saying it was based on false information, as “suspicious”, Mr. Pawar alleged that there was a “premeditated plan” among some leaders to take control of the NCP.

He alleged that Mr Patel and Mr Tatkare, as well as some BJP leaders, were also exerting pressure to postpone the press conference planned by Ajit Pawar’s younger son Jay Pawar.

He also alleged that efforts were on to “protect” VSR Company, which operated the Learjet 45 plane that crashed with Ajit Pawar and four others on January 28, and that the firm had received ₹80 to 90 crore from the government for its services even after the crash.

Referring to his meeting with Congress MP Rahul Gandhi, Mr. Pawar said Ajit Pawar was advised to take his complaint regarding the plane crash to a State where he could get justice, following which ‘zero FIR’ was registered in Bengaluru in Karnataka.

The police can record a zero First Information Report when the crime does not occur within their jurisdiction and forward it to the appropriate police station.

Without naming any names, Mr. Pawar claimed that instructions were given not to raise the issue of Ajit Pawar’s accident during the legislative session, which resulted in most MLAs remaining silent.

Demanding a criminal investigation, lawmakers questioned whether the entire incident, from the alleged letters to attempts to control the party, was part of a larger conspiracy.

He also claimed that before his death, there were attempts to perform “black magic” or dubious rituals outside Ajit Pawar’s house, possibly a self-styled godman from Nashik.

Was the January 28 incident really an accident or something more serious? he asked.