The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) is confronting an acute existential crisis in the wake of the death of its founding strongman and Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar in January 2026. The transition of authority to his widow, Sunetra Pawar, has fractured the party's internal cohesion rather than consolidating it, exposing deep structural fault lines that observers warn could prove irreversible.

Legal Challenge to Sunetra Pawar's Presidency

The most immediate threat is legal. Former National Secretary Sachchidanand Singh has served a formal notice challenging Sunetra Pawar's election as National President on 26 February 2026, alleging that mandatory constitutional procedures were bypassed entirely. According to the notice, no independent election authority was appointed, no official notification was issued, and no election calendar was published — rendering the process procedurally void.

The notice names Sunetra Pawar, Praful Patel, and former general secretary Brijmohan Shrivastav, demanding a response within 15 days. While Patel and Maharashtra State Unit President Sunil Tatkare have publicly dismissed the notice as legally baseless, party insiders caution that a dismissal alone will not neutralise the risk. If Singh approaches the Supreme Court, the party's operational legitimacy could be frozen — particularly since the apex court has yet to settle the foundational question of which faction constitutes the 'real' NCP in its ongoing dispute with the NCP (Sharad Pawar) faction.

The Internal Power Struggle

Behind closed doors, the contest for control began the moment Ajit Pawar died. Senior leaders reportedly moved to consolidate authority under Praful Patel in his capacity as Working President. Sunetra Pawar responded by writing to the Election Commission of India (ECI) to nullify decisions taken during the transition period, a move that has deepened the rift between the family and the party's veteran leadership.

The consequences have already become visible externally. The NCP has been unable to reclaim the Finance portfolio — previously held by Ajit Pawar and central to the party's leverage — despite high-level discussions with Union Home Minister Amit Shah. That failure signals a measurable decline in the party's bargaining power within the ruling coalition.

Patel's public acknowledgement that 'corrective measures' are needed to fill the vacuum left by Ajit Pawar is widely read as a coded signal of dissatisfaction from the party's senior tier.

Parth Pawar's Rise and Grassroots Resentment

Compounding the crisis is the rapid ascent of Parth Pawar, Rajya Sabha MP and son of Sunetra Pawar. Since entering the upper house, Parth has reportedly been functioning as the de facto decision-maker on his mother's behalf — a role that has generated significant resentment among senior MLAs and ground-level workers.

A close aide to the late Ajit Pawar put it plainly: 'Parth Pawar has to earn his political stripes rather than inheriting them through decree. Instead of acting as an intermediary from closed rooms, he must build mass contact, travel across Maharashtra, and earn the respect of the cadres.'

Under Ajit Pawar, legislators had direct, immediate access to power. Under the current arrangement, a perceived communication gap between Sunetra Pawar and the legislative wing — combined with Parth's limited public outreach — has alienated the very base the party depends on for electoral survival.

What Happens If the Party Fails to Stabilise

Political observers argue the NCP's legislators are fundamentally pragmatic. If the Pawar family and veteran leaders such as Patel and Tatkare continue working at cross-purposes, MLAs are likely to migrate toward more stable political formations — the Shinde faction, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), or the rival NCP (SP) camp — to protect their own electoral futures. This is not a hypothetical: defections of this nature have reshaped Maharashtra politics repeatedly over the past decade.

Unlike the NCP (SP) led by patriarch Sharad Pawar, the Sunetra Pawar-led faction cannot easily draw on a narrative of victimhood or a deep emotional legacy to retain loyalty. Its survival depends almost entirely on institutional credibility and access to power — both of which are now under strain.

The Path to Stabilisation

Political observers suggest a two-pronged approach is essential. First, a core committee of veteran leaders must be formally empowered to vet all major political and legislative decisions, replacing the current model of unilateral family directives. Second, Sunetra Pawar must leverage her position as Deputy Chief Minister to actively resolve constituency-level issues for her legislators — replicating the hands-on, accessible style that made Ajit Pawar indispensable to the party's rank and file.

Regular legislative party meetings and transparent communication channels, observers say, are the minimum conditions for preventing a full-scale defection wave. Whether the new leadership acts on these recommendations before the legal and political pressures become unmanageable will determine whether the NCP survives as a meaningful political force in Maharashtra.