Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) Maharashtra unit President and Member of Parliament Sunil Tatkare on Thursday, 21 May declared that all internal differences within the party have been resolved, and that leaders and workers will shortly undertake a joint statewide tour to strengthen the organisation and drive expansion. Tatkare made the announcement at a press conference in New Delhi.

Internal Disputes Declared Resolved

The statement comes against the backdrop of significant turbulence within the NCP after senior leaders including Praful Patel, Chhagan Bhujbal, and Dilip Walse Patil — along with Tatkare himself — were excluded from the newly constituted national executive. A letter submitted to the Election Commission of India (ECI) on 29 April had also omitted Praful Patel's designation as national working president and Tatkare's position as state unit president, triggering visible resentment among the veterans.

Following the backlash, NCP president and Deputy Chief Minister Sunetra Pawar, accompanied by her sons Parth and Jay, personally reached out to Patel and Tatkare, assuring them that a revised letter would be submitted to the poll panel to correct what the party described as a clerical error.

Fresh ECI Letter in the Pipeline

Tatkare confirmed that the corrected letter required by the Election Commission of India will be submitted in the coming days. He noted that detailed and constructive discussions on the matter had already taken place among the party's top leadership during an internal meeting, signalling that the formal paperwork is now a procedural formality rather than a contested issue.

Merger Rumours Firmly Dismissed

When pressed on speculation about a possible merger with the Sharad Pawar-led NCP faction, Tatkare dismissed the reports outright. He pointed out that the rival faction's state president Shashikant Shinde and MP Supriya Sule had already publicly stated their respective positions. 'Therefore, nothing remains to be discussed on that issue anymore,' he said.

Party's Ideological Moorings and NDA Commitment

Reaffirming the party's foundational values, Tatkare invoked the progressive legacies of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, Rajarshi Shahu Maharaj, Mahatma Jyotirao Phule, Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, and the late Yashwantrao Chavan. 'We discuss all matters collectively, and decisions within the party are made unanimously. True democracy exists within our party,' he stated. Tatkare also reiterated that the NCP remains a committed constituent of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), working under the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) leadership at both the Centre and state level, and pledged to accelerate development-oriented work in the months ahead.

With the revised ECI letter expected shortly and a statewide organisational tour on the horizon, the NCP's Ajit Pawar-led faction appears intent on projecting unity ahead of upcoming political challenges in Maharashtra.