NCP Leaders Knock on Amit Shah’s Door In Delhi To Reclaim Finance Ministry; Bid To Retain Pawar Power

Six senior National Congress Party (NCP) leaders on Tuesday met Union Home Minister Amit Shah, demanding the Finance Ministry portfolio be returned to the party. The meeting was attended by Dhananjay Munde, Sunil Tatkare, Praful Patel, Hasan Mushrif, Chhagan Bhujbal and Dilip Walse Patil. This comes amid discussions on escalating power struggles within Maharashtra's ruling Mahayuti alliance regarding the position.

Notably, Sunetra Pawar and Parth Pawar did not attend the meeting, raising questions about the party’s internal leadership dynamics. The position was earlier held by late Minister Ajit Pawar, who died in a plane crash in January. Following the death, the portfolio was taken over by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis (BJP). Since then, NCP MLAs and municipal corporators (including those in Pune and Pimpri Chinchwad) have raised complaints that development funds and project allocations have slowed down or bypassed them.

Finance Portfolio Was NCP’s Stronghold

The Finance Ministry was a stronghold for the NCP under party president and then-Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar. Even as the late minister's wife, Sunetra Pawar, subsequently assumed office as Deputy Chief Minister and NCP President, the BJP retained direct control of the finance portfolio. The NCP has demanded its return, claiming that losing such a significant department weakens its leverage within the state cabinet.

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NCP Suffered Crushing Defeat in the Recent MLC Elections

The high-profile meeting comes after a crushing defeat of the party in the Maharashtra Legislative Council (MLC) elections. NCP’s three-time sitting candidate, Satish Chavan, lost the critical Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar Graduates' constituency to the rival faction led by Sharad Pawar (NCP-SP). The high-profile loss forced the party into active self-introspection and spurred senior leaders to demand a more potent portfolio to rebuild regional influence.

The NCP pressed for major pre-election populist commitments, such as the Ladki Bahin Yojana and farmers' electricity bill waivers. Following the unintended loss, the leaders argued having an NCP leader in charge of finance ensures these programmes are managed with proper fiscal tracking and without overloading the state. Responding to the talks, Sunetra Pawar dismissed discussions of internal rifts within the party. She claimed that wins and losses do occur in every election. If there’s a defeat, a "self-introspection" is needed, and the party will definitely look into it.

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Lack Of Action On The Side Of Fadnavis

Days before the Delhi trip, the Economic Offences Wing (EOW) issued investigative notices to two officials tied to Sunetra Pawar’s office regarding a controversial land deal involving her son, Parth Pawar. While Chief Minister Fadnavis previously offered verbal assurances that the Finance portfolio would return to the NCP before the winter legislative session, the lack of concrete action forced the NCP stalwarts to bypass state leadership and directly appeal to the BJP's central command. For the NCP, reclaiming the finance department is no longer just a cabinet demand but a fight to preserve its political leverage and reassert its identity in Maharashtra's governance.