No rift in NCP, Sachchidanand Singh's letter carries no weight, says Praful Patel

NAtionalist u.s. Congress company subject workings chairman Praful Patel on Tuesday said there is no rift in the party and a letter written by NCP national secretary Sachchidanand Singh, who challenged the election of Sunetra Pawar as the party president, carries no weight.Singh has caused a flutter, claiming that the election held on February 26 this year was unconstitutional and liable to be declared "null, void and non-est". A legal notice was issued by a Delhi-based law firm on behalf of Singh on July 9.Also Read | Legal challenge to Sunetra Pawar's NCP presidencyReacting to the notice, 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 Singh carries no weight. Any issue should be resolved amicably in the interest of the party."Addressed to Maharashtra Deputy CM and NCP president Sunetra Pawar, Praful Patel, and party general secretary Brijmohan Shrivastav, the notice alleged that the election process was initiated without following the mandatory provisions of the NCP constitution and without proper notice to delegates and office-bearers.According to the notice, after the demise of then NCP president Ajit Pawar on January 28, the party had informed the Election Commission that Praful Patel would function as acting national president until a new chief was elected.Also Read | Sharad Pawar’s NCP ends merger talks with Sunetra Pawar-led party factionIt alleged that Shrivastav subsequently convened the national convention and set the election process in motion despite lacking the constitutional authority to do so."No duly constituted central election authority, returning officer or election calendar was put in place as required under the party constitution. Delegates were denied an opportunity to nominate candidates, contest or vote," the notice claimed.Singh has demanded the withdrawal of party communications sent to the Election Commission on February 28, March 10 and April 29 this year, which recorded the election and office-bearers, and sought a fresh organisational election under an independent election authority.Also Read | Amid UBT crisis, independent MLC Kiran Sarnaik joins Eknath Shinde's Shiv SenaThe notice has given the party leadership 15 days to comply with the demands, failing which the petitioner has reserved the right to initiate further legal proceedings.A day earlier, NCP spokesperson Suraj Chavan had claimed that Singh was present at the national convention on February 26 and voted for Sunetra Pawar by raising his hand."All rules were followed in her election," Chavan added.On Monday, Praful Patel said it is difficult to fill the vacuum created by the demise of Ajit Pawar, even as he stressed for "corrective steps" by the NCP to remain relevant in Maharashtra and national politics.The internal discussions gained attention after the party submitted a revised list of national office-bearers and executive committee members to the Election Commission of India.The names of Praful Patel and Maharashtra NCP president Sunil Tatkare were reportedly either omitted or shown without their official designations, which the party later attributed to a typographical error.