Chhagan Bhujbal, Praful Patel, Sunil Tatkare and Hasan Mushrif are attending the meeting at Bhujbal's residence. The discussions come shortly after senior NCP leaders met Amit Shah in Delhi, fuelling speculation about the party's future political strategy and possible changes in the state government.
Meanwhile, former minister Anil Patil has been urgently summoned to Mumbai. He began travelling to the city after receiving the message. Following the meeting with Amit Shah, discussions have intensified over the possible return of a former minister from the Ajit Pawar faction to the state cabinet.
However, Anil Patil avoided making any direct comments on a possible cabinet reshuffle. He said he was travelling to meet Deputy Chief Minister Sunetra Pawar and NCP state president Sunil Tatkare in connection with the district bank elections.
Patil said discussions had already taken place within the Mahayuti alliance regarding the district bank elections. He stated that the NCP faction would contest the elections with the alliance if it received a respectable number of seats. Otherwise, the party would take its own decision.
What Is the NCP's Strategy for the District Bank Elections?
Anil Patil said the NCP would contest alongside whichever party offered it a respectable share of seats in the district bank elections. He added that the BJP and Shiv Sena had given their word, expressing the possibility that the elections would be contested under the Mahayuti alliance.
The Ajit Pawar-led NCP faction is demanding seven seats. Patil indicated that the issue would be discussed again after the scrutiny of nomination papers on the same day.
Speculation Over Differences Within the NCP
The absence of Parth Pawar and Deputy Chief Minister Sunetra Pawar from the meeting with Amit Shah had also triggered discussions about a possible division within the NCP. Responding to the speculation, Anil Patil said certain well-wishers were circulating news according to their own preferences.
He said that if senior NCP leaders had met Amit Shah, they would have discussed the matter with Sunetra Pawar as well. He also clarified that a meeting with the Union Home Minister should not automatically be interpreted as an attempt to secure cabinet positions, adding that several other issues could be discussed during such meetings.
Patil rejected attempts to portray differences of opinion within the party as a major internal split. He said there were efforts to create an impression that the NCP was divided, despite the discussions involving its senior leadership.
With the party's core committee meeting scheduled after the discussions at Chhagan Bhujbal's residence, attention remains focused on the NCP leadership's next decisions, the seven-seat demand for the district bank elections and speculation surrounding a possible cabinet reshuffle in Maharashtra.
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