NCP rift widens: Office-bearer issues ultimatum to Sunetra Pawar, top leaders
New Delhi, Aug 20 (IANS) The internal conflict within the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) has escalated further as Sachchidanand Singh, the party’s National Secretary, issued a stern 15‑day reminder legal notice challenging the election of Sunetra Ajit Pawar as National President.
The notice, dated August 17, 2026, was dispatched via legal firm ARS Associates to Sunetra Ajit Pawar, along with Praful Patel (National Working President) and Brijmohan Shrivastav (National General Secretary and ECI Nodal Officer).
The latest legal move serves as a final reminder of an earlier legal notice issued on July 9, 2026, challenging the validity of the organisational elections allegedly held on February 26, 2026.
According to the document, the top leadership failed to reply to or comply with the original 15‑day notice. Counsel Ilesh Shukla, representing Singh, stated in the document that the leadership’s silence “is liable to be construed as an admission of the illegality of the purported election”.
The notice calls upon the noticees to fulfil several specific demands within 15 days.
Singh has asked to immediately recall party communications sent to the Election Commission of India (ECI) on February 28, March 10, and April 29, 2026, and declare the February 26 election of the National President and the resulting “revised final list” of office bearers null, void and non‑est.
He further called for the establishment of a properly empowered Central Election Authority and Returning Officer to conduct new, fair elections in line with the party constitution, ensuring proper notice to all National Delegates.
He has also demanded certified copies of requested internal party documents and confirmation of full written compliance.
Singh’s legal team cautioned that if the leadership fails to meet the demands within the 15‑day timeframe, the National Secretary will approach appropriate judicial or regulatory forums to seek legal remedies and nullify the election, holding the targeted leaders liable for all associated legal costs and consequences.
Singh, who currently serves as the party’s Jharkhand state president, has been associated with the organisation for nearly 15 years.
He was appointed National Secretary in December 2023 at a party meeting in Karjat when the late Ajit Pawar was serving as National President. However, he was not on the executive committee that met on February 26, 2026.
Incidentally, Singh has been dropped from the reconstituted national executive as National Secretary. He has challenged the reconstitution of the national executive and national working committee, which the Election Commission of India received on April 29, 2026.
Shrivastav, who was dropped as National General Secretary during the reconstitution of the national executive, confirmed that he received the letter, but the NCP remained tight‑lipped on the issue.
–IANS
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