Parth Pawar's Rapid Ascent Within the NCP
At 36, Rajya Sabha MP and party national general secretary Parth Pawar has swiftly solidified his influence within the NCP following his 2019 electoral defeat.
The Indian Express published an article titled "'My way or the highway': How Parth Pawar took over NCP in six months," examining the rapid consolidation of power by Parth Pawar within the Nationalist Congress Party. The piece analyzes the political maneuvering and internal party dynamics that facilitated his rise over a half-year period.
Until January this year, Parth Pawar sat through meetings of Nationalist Congress Party legislators more as an observer than a participant. The 36-year-old son of Ajit Pawar had lost the 2019 Lok Sabha election from Maval by over 2.15 lakh votes, and senior leaders say his father rarely involved him in important political decisions. During the Pune municipal corporation elections, Ajit Pawar even asked him to stay away from the campaign. Six months later, the Rajya Sabha member has emerged as the principal power centre within the NCP, holding the post of national general secretary. According to party leaders, bureaucrats and associates, few significant organisational decisions are now taken without his approval.
The transformation coincides with a cascade of events that reshaped the party’s leadership. Ajit Pawar died in an aircraft crash earlier this year, creating a vacuum that saw his wife, Sunetra Pawar, elevated to Deputy Chief Minister and party president. In the months that followed, Parth Pawar moved from the periphery to the centre of the party’s functioning, overseeing organisational appointments and resource mobilisation aimed at the 2029 elections. He gives no interviews and avoids rallies, yet his approval is described as a prerequisite for any movement within the party structure.
For supporters, the rise represents continuity, a son shouldering the responsibility of preserving his father’s legacy. For critics, it has fundamentally altered the character of the NCP, concentrating decision-making within a small circle and rewarding personal loyalty over seniority. The tension is visible in the growing unease among senior leaders such as Sunil Tatkare and Praful Patel. Over the past fortnight, Tatkare and Patel met Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis without informing Sunetra Pawar, while Patel publicly called for “corrective measures” in the party. A legal challenge to Sunetra Pawar’s election as party president has also been mounted, and speculation over a possible merger with the Sharad Pawar-led NCP (SP) has resurfaced.
At the heart of almost every disagreement lies the growing influence of Parth Pawar. The ruling NCP is battling a crisis of its own even as political speculation swirls around a potential understanding between the Sharad Pawar faction and the BJP-led NDA. Parth Pawar did not respond to repeated requests for comment.
Indian Express