Prashant Kishor's Meeting With Sunetra Pawar Fuels Speculation Over NCP's Political Course

Jan Suraaj Party founder Prashant Kishor's marathon meeting with Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader and Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Sunetra Pawar has sparked fresh speculation over the party's future strategy and organisation, The Indian Express reported.

The meeting, which lasted around six hours, took place at the Pawar residence in Mumbai on Thursday after Kishor flew in from Delhi the previous night. He was accompanied by Parth Pawar, Sunetra Pawar's son. According to the report, the Deputy Chief Minister had kept her official schedule clear for the day, with the meeting being her only known engagement. No other senior NCP leader was present.

Although neither side disclosed the substance of the discussions, sources said the talks centred on strengthening the NCP's organisational structure and preparing its electoral strategy ahead of Maharashtra's local body elections.

Sunetra Pawar is understood to be looking to consolidate her position within the party following the death of her husband, Ajit Pawar. Kishor, who earned prominence as a political strategist before entering active politics, is believed to have shared ideas on rebuilding the organisation and reshaping its political strategy.

Sources said Parth Pawar played a key role in initiating the meeting, with Kishor having maintained cordial ties with the Pawar family over the years.

Among the proposals reportedly discussed was the possibility of appointing a state organisational chief who is not an elected representative. The party's national leadership also came under review, according to people familiar with the discussions.

The deliberations came shortly after the NCP announced appointments to its women, youth, student and young women's wings, with many of the new office-bearers regarded as close to Parth Pawar.

The party's strained relationship with its ally, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), was also said to have figured prominently. Media reports indicated that the option of contesting the forthcoming zilla parishad and panchayat elections independently, rather than as part of the ruling Mahayuti alliance, was discussed as a way to assess the NCP's political strength under Sunetra Pawar's leadership.

Fresh Equations

According to media reports, the Congress's recent description of Sunetra Pawar as a "goongi gudiya" ("mute doll") was also raised during the meeting. Kishor is said to have endorsed her decision not to respond publicly, arguing that avoiding a confrontation had blunted the criticism.

People familiar with the discussions suggested Kishor could assume a broader advisory role as the local body elections approach. The meeting was reportedly his third with the Pawar family in recent months and the most significant so far, coming shortly after the Jan Suraaj Party's victory over the BJP in the Bankipur Assembly by-election in Bihar.

As per Indian Express, Kishor had previously stated that he was no longer working as an election consultant and was focused on his own political career. The NCP, meanwhile, had worked with political strategist Naresh Arora during the 2024 Lok Sabha and Maharashtra Assembly elections, with that association continuing in a reduced capacity until March this year.