NEW DELHI: Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leaders Praful Patel and Sunil Tatkare on Tuesday dismissed a notice issued by the party’s national secretary Sachchidanand questioning the election of Sunetra Pawar as the party’s national president, while asserting that there was no rift within the organisation.The leaders said the election was held in accordance with the party constitution and that the notice carried no legal or organisational significance.The controversy comes after Sachchidanand, through a Delhi-based law firm, issued a notice on July 9 alleging that Sunetra Pawar’s election as NCP president on February 26 was unconstitutional and should be declared null and void.Reacting to the notice, Praful Patel told PTI, “There is no rift in the party. All senior party leaders meet with Sunetra Pawar to discuss political issues. The letter written by Sachchidanand carries no weight. Any issue should be resolved amicably in the interest of the party.”NCP Maharashtra president Sunil Tatkare termed the notice ‘illegal’ and said the party would first examine its legal validity.“The election was completely valid,” Tatkare told reporters. He added that the meeting of the national executive to elect the president and working president was conducted strictly in accordance with the party constitution.He said the party’s core committee would meet shortly, seek legal advice on the notice and then decide its response.On whether the party had contacted Sachchidanand or was considering disciplinary action against him, Tatkare said he had not spoken to the national secretary and was unaware whether anyone from the party’s Delhi unit had done so.“We will first examine the legal validity of the notice. In my view, there is absolutely no substance in it. The entire process followed by the party was in accordance with its constitution and rules,” he said.Tatkare said the party’s core committee would decide whether Sachchidanand’s letter amounted to indiscipline.Responding to questions about internal party documents repeatedly surfacing in the public domain, Tatkare said the NCP remained united under Sunetra Pawar’s leadership.“Today, the party is united under the leadership of Sunetra Pawar. It is working across the state and the country in an organised manner.”“Just because one person writes a letter, it does not mean there is discontent in the party. Ours is a democratic organisation where individuals can express their views, but the party moves forward according to its collective decisions,” he added.When asked why the notice specifically questioned Sunetra Pawar’s election, Tatkare pointed out that notices had also been issued to Praful Patel and declined to speculate on the motives behind targeting particular leaders.In the notice, Sachchidanand claimed that after the death of then NCP president Ajit Pawar in an air crash on January 28, the party had informed the Election Commission that Praful Patel would serve as acting national president until a new chief was elected.However, he alleged that general secretary Brijmohan Shrivastav convened the national convention and initiated the election process without constitutional authority.According to the notice, no duly constituted central election authority, returning officer or election schedule was put in place and delegates were denied an opportunity to nominate candidates, contest or vote.Sachchidanand also demanded that the party withdraw letters sent to the Election Commission on February 28, March 10 and April 29 informing it about the election and office-bearers, and sought fresh organisational elections under an independent election authority.The notice also referred to the revised list of national office-bearers submitted to the Election Commission, in which the names of Praful Patel and Sunil Tatkare were reportedly either omitted or shown without their official designations. The party had earlier described this as a typographical error.Meanwhile, Tatkare said the party’s core group would seek a meeting with Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis to discuss the finance portfolio, which was held by the late Ajit Pawar before his death and is currently with the chief minister.He also announced that the NCP would organise a week-long programme from July 22 to mark Ajit Pawar’s birth anniversary.
