Nationalist Congress Party

=== First incarnation led by Sharad Pawar ===

==== Split from Congress ====

The NCP was formed on 10 June 1999, by Sharad Pawar, P. A. Sangma, and Tariq Anwar after they were expelled from the Indian National Congress on 20 May 1999, for disputing the right of Italian-born Sonia Gandhi to lead the party.{{Cite web |url=http://m.rediff.com/%0D%0Anews/1999/may/24jhar.htm |title=Senior Congress leaders quit in Jharkhand |access-date=30 June 2019 |archive-date=4 March 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190304124143/http://m.rediff.com/%0D%0Anews/1999/may/24jhar.htm |url-status=dead }}[https://web.archive.org/web/20230426012922/https://m.rediff.com/news/1999/may/20pawar2.htm CWC expels threesome for six years]{{cite news |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Sangma-meets-Sonia-first-time-in-a-decade/articleshow/4609798.cms |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121024005950/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2009-06-02/india/28205192_1_foreign-origin-sangma-janpath-residence |url-status=live |archive-date=24 October 2012 |title=Sangma meets Sonia Gandhi, first time in a decade |newspaper=The Times of India |date=2 June 2009}} When the NCP formed, the Indian Congress (Socialist) – Sarat Chandra Sinha party merged into the new party.{{cite news | url = http://www.tribuneindia.com/1999/99jun11/spotlite.htm | title = Spotlight: Merger with NCP | newspaper = Tribune India | date = 1999-06-11 | access-date = 2009-05-19}}

==== In government ====

Despite the NCP being founded on opposition to the leadership of Sonia Gandhi, the party joined the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) to form the government of Maharashtra in October 1999. In 2004, the party joined the UPA to form the national government led by Manmohan Singh. The NCP's leader, Sharad Pawar served as the Minister of Agriculture for both five-year terms of the Singh-led government. The party remained part of the Congress-led Maharashtra state government until 2014.{{cite book|author1=Suhas Palshikar|author2=Prerna Singh|author3=Atul Kohli|title=Routledge Handbook of Indian Politics|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mbLcAwAAQBAJ&pg=PR1|date=4 January 2013|publisher=Routledge|isbn=978-1-135-12275-1|pages=92, 97}} On 20 June 2012, P. A. Sangma left the NCP to contest the presidential election, which he lost.{{cite news | url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/I-have-quit-NCP-will-contest-presidential-polls-PA-Sangma/articleshow/14300738.cms | title=I have quit NCP, will contest presidential polls: PA Sangma

| date=29 June 2012 |newspaper=The Times of India}}

In the April and May 2014 Lok Sabha elections, the UPA lost to the rival National Democratic Alliance (NDA) led by Narendra Modi and the NCP was out of government for the first time in ten years. The NCP broke its alliance with the Congress Party just before the October 2014 Maharashtra Legislative Assembly elections to contest them on its own.{{Cite web|url=https://hwnews.in/news/politics/congress-NCP-seat-sharing-Maharashtra/112929|title = Congress-NCP announce seat-sharing for Maharashtra polls|date = 16 September 2019}} In the assembly election the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) emerged as the largest party and formed a minority government, initially with support from the NCP.

In April 2019, voting took place for the 48 Lok Sabha seats from Maharashtra. The Congress and NCP had a seat-sharing arrangement.{{cite news |title=Raj Thackeray, Dhananjay Munde in demand to campaign for Cong |url=https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/elections/lok-sabha/maharashtra/raj-thackeray-dhananjay-munde-in-demand-to-campaign-for-cong/articleshow/68833350.cms |work=April 11 |agency=PTI |date=2019}} Similarly, despite their differences, the BJP and Shiv Sena once again contested the elections together under the NDA banner.{{cite news |title=Opinion Poll: BJP-Shiv Sena may lose 8 seats in Maharashtra, Congress-NCP to improve figures |url=https://www.newsnation.in/election/lok-sabha-election-2019/opinion-poll-lok-sabha-elections-2019-bjp-shiv-sena-seats-maharashtra-congress-ncp-sharad-pawar-devendra-fadnavis--article-216712.html |issue=March 23 |publisher=New Nation |date=2019}}{{cite web |title=NCP will welcome BJP's decision to merge India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, says Maharashtra minister |url=https://scroll.in/latest/979191/NCP-will-welcome-bps-decision-to-merge-India-Pakistan-Bangladesh-says-Maharashtra-minister |website=Scroll.in |date=23 November 2020}} The election was another landslide victory for the NDA, with the BJP and Shiv Sena winning 23 and 18 seats, respectively, out of the total of the state's 48 Lok Sabha seats. The Congress Party won only one seat in the state whereas the NCP won five seats from its stronghold of western Maharashtra.{{Cite web |url=https://www.esakal.com/loksabha-2019/result |title=| eSakal |access-date=26 December 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190608010227/https://www.esakal.com/loksabha-2019/result |archive-date=8 June 2019 |url-status=dead }}

During the October 2019 Maharashtra Legislative Assembly elections, the BJP–Shiv-Sena and NCP–Congress alliances remained intact for seat sharing. The BJP and Shiv Sena together gained the majority of seats in the assembly but could not form a government due to disagreements between the two parties. The BJP, with 105 seats, was far short of the 145 seats required to form a majority and declined to form a minority government. As a result, Shiv Sena started talks with the NCP and Congress to form a government. However, in a controversial move, on 23 November 2019, the BJP formed a government with support from the NCP, with Ajit Pawar as Deputy Chief Minister. This government collapsed three days later with Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Pawar resigning their respective positions. Finally, the NCP came back into power at the state level as part of the Maha Vikas Aghadi coalition formed with Shiv Sena and the Congress. On 28 November 2019, the Governor of Maharashtra swore in Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray as the new Chief Minister of Maharashtra. Thackeray's cabinet included ministers from the NCP in key portfolios.{{cite news |title=Political drama has gripped the home state of Bollywood |url=https://www.economist.com/asia/2019/11/29/political-drama-has-gripped-the-home-state-of-bollywood |access-date=30 November 2019 |issue=30 November 2019 |publisher=The Economist}}{{cite news |title=Maharashtra: With 169 votes, Uddhav-led govt sails through Assembly floor test, BJP stages walkout |url=https://indianexpress.com/article/india/maharashtra-assembly-floor-test-uddhav-thackeray-fadnavis-bjp-shiv-sena-ncp-congressmaharashtra-uddhav-led-mahavikasaghadi-govt-wins-trust-vote-bjp-stages-walkout-6144236/ |access-date=30 November 2019 |work=Indian Express |issue=30 November 2019 |publisher=Indian Express newspapers}}

However, this alliance lost power in June 2022 after a rebel faction led by Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde gathered the support of a majority of Sena MLAs and reestablished the previous Sena-BJP coalition.{{Cite web |title=36 districts, 31 departments & 2-man cabinet: No expansion of Shinde govt for 3 weeks & counting |website=ThePrint |date=22 July 2022 |url=https://theprint.in/politics/36-districts-31-departments-2-man-cabinet-no-expansion-of-shinde-govt-for-3-weeks-counting/1049380/ }} Subsequently, on 20 July, NCP President Sharad Pawar dissolved almost all units of the party.{{Cite web |title=Sharad Pawar Dissolves All Units Of Party, Days After Shiv Sena Coup |url=https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/sharad-pawar-dissolves-all-departments-cells-of-ncp-gives-no-reason-3178310 }}

{{Main|2023 Nationalist Congress Party split}}

{{See also|2019 Maharashtra political crisis}}

In July 2023, Ajit Pawar, along with many of his supporters, left the Sharad Pawar-led NCP and joined the ruling Shiv Sena-BJP government as a Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra.{{Cite news |date=2023-07-02 |title=In a twist, NCP's Ajit Pawar takes oath as Maharashtra deputy CM |language=en-IN |work=The Hindu |url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/ajit-pawar-deputy-chief-minister-maharashtra-ncp-july-2-2023/article67033757.ece |access-date=2023-07-09 |issn=0971-751X}} This caused the NCP to split into two factions, with Ajit Pawar claiming in a letter to the Election Commission that he had been elected party president on June 30.{{Cite news |date=2023-07-05 |title=Ajit Pawar moves Election Commission, says he was elected NCP president on June 30 |language=en-IN |work=The Hindu |url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/ajit-pawar-tells-election-commission-he-was-elected-as-ncp-president-on-june-30/article67046140.ece |access-date=2023-07-09 |issn=0971-751X}} In his first meeting after the split, he expressed a desire to retain the party's symbol and name, urged Sharad Pawar to retire and give opportunities to new people, and criticised many of Sharad's decisions, including the formation of a government with the Shiv Sena instead of the BJP in 2019.{{Cite web |date=2023-07-06 |title=From Ajit Pawar's speech: 'Stuck at DyCM, I also wish to lead state' to Sharad Pawar 'talking to BJP' several times |url=https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/mumbai/ajit-pawar-speech-stuck-dy-cm-sharad-pawar-bjp-sharad-pawar-8791343/ |access-date=2023-07-09 |website=The Indian Express |language=en}}

On 7 February 2024, The Election Commission Of India (ECI) awarded the party name and symbol to the faction headed by Ajit Pawar. The faction led by Sharad Pawar will be henceforth known as Nationalist Congress Party (Sharad Chandra Pawar){{cite news |author= |date= |title=Sharad Pawar faction gets new name day after Ajit camp declared 'real' NCP

|url=https://indianexpress.com/article/india/nationalist-congress-party-sharadchandra-pawar-ncp-9149260/ |work=Express News service |location=New Delhi |access-date=2024-02-07}}

The election symbol of NCP is an analogue alarm clock.{{Cite web |url=http://eci.nic.in/eci_main/ElectoralLaws/OrdersNotifications/Symbols_Sep_2009.pdf |title=Archived copy |access-date=3 April 2017 |archive-date=20 August 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180820162136/http://eci.nic.in/eci_main/ElectoralLaws/OrdersNotifications/Symbols_Sep_2009.pdf |url-status=dead }}{{cite web|url=http://eci.nic.in/eci_main/ElectoralLaws/OrdersNotifications/Symbols_Sep_2009.pdf |title=Symbols |date=2009 |website=eci.nic.in }} The clock is drawn in blue and has two legs and an alarm button. It is situated on a tri-coloured Indian flag.{{cite web|url=http://www.elections.in/political-parties-in-india/nationalist-congress-party.html|title=Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) – Party History, Symbol, Founders, Election Results and News|website=www.elections.in}}

The Nationalist Congress Party has been extensively criticized for several reasons such as political corruption, insensitive comments, links to the underworld, and moral policing.

NCP leader Sharad Pawar was accused of having links to the underworld. This was revealed by former Supreme Court lawyer Ram Jethmalani, who had confirmed that after the March 1993 bombings in Bombay, Dawood Ibrahim had called him from London, saying that he was prepared to come to India and stand trial, on the condition that he should not be subjected to any third degree treatment from the police.{{cite web |title=The legend of Ram – a conversation with Ram Jethmalani |url=http://www.algebratheclub.com/event/the-legend-of-ram/ |website=Algebra talks |publisher=Algebra |access-date=13 June 2018}} When Jethmalani had conveyed this to Sharad Pawar, the political leaders in power did not agree to this proposal. As per Jethmalani, their refusal to allow Dawood's return was due to their fears that he would expose their secrets.{{cite magazine |title=Ram Jethmalani, Sharad Pawar spar over Dawood Ibrahim |url=https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/dawood-ibrahim-surrender-ram-jethmalani-sharad-pawar-spar-280635-2015-07-04 |access-date=13 June 2018 |magazine=India Today |date=4 July 2015}}{{cite news |title=Sharad Pawar: Jethmalani's proposal on Dawood Ibrahim was conditional |url=http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-others/ram-jethmalanis-proposal-on-dawood-was-conditional-sharad-pawar/ |access-date=13 June 2018 |newspaper=The Indian Express}}

In May 2005, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) workers stormed a pub in Pune, Maharashtra, broke window panes, damaged furniture, and thrashed visitors. The move came days after Pune Police had forced five pubs to shut before the closing time of 12:30 am.{{cite news|url=http://www.indianexpress.com/oldStory/70139/ |title=Moral police hit Pune nightlife |work=The Indian Express |date=11 May 2011 |access-date=8 December 2014}}

On 29 November 2008, in the aftermath of the terrorist attack in Mumbai, NCP leader and Deputy Chief Minister R.R. Patil was forced to resign after making insensitive comments after the attack. He was quoted as saying, "They (the terrorists) came to kill 5,000 people but we ensured minimal damage".{{cite news|url=http://www.merinews.com/article/minister-paid-dearly-for-the-small-incident-remark/151221.shtml|author=Damini Berry|title=Minister paid dearly for the 'small incident' remark|website=Merinews|date=2 December 2008|access-date=18 July 2018}} When asked at a press conference whether the terror strike was an intelligence failure Patil said, "It is not like that. In big cities like this, incidents like this do happen. It's is not a total failure."{{cite news|url=https://www.news18.com/news/india/rr-patil-has-a-language-problem-calls-attack-small-302964.html|title=RR Patil has a language problem, calls attack small|publisher=News18 India|date=29 November 2008|access-date=18 July 2018}}

On 7 April 2013, NCP leader Ajit Pawar's statement at a speech in Indapur sparked controversy due to its alleged callousness. In response to a 55-day fast by activists protesting the Maharashtra governments inability to provide water during a drought, he asked whether he should "urinate into [the dam]" to make up for the lack of water in it. After a public outcry against his statement, he publicly apologized, saying that the comment was the "biggest mistake of [his] life".{{cite news |date=8 April 2013 |url=http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2013-04-08/india/38372423_1_ajit-pawar-crass-humour-deputy-cm |title=Ajit Pawar apologizes again, says 'this is biggest mistake of my life' |access-date=9 May 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130601065447/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2013-04-08/india/38372423_1_ajit-pawar-crass-humour-deputy-cm |archive-date=1 June 2013 |url-status=dead |work=The Times of India |df=dmy-all }}

In 2021, Senior Inspector Sachin Vaze, an encounter specialist, was arrested for his involvement in the Antilia bomb scare. Through an investigation, Vaze revealed that he was acting at the behest of Anil Deshmukh, who was then minister of Home Affairs.{{Cite web|url=https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/mumbai/anil-deshmukh-minister-in-eye-of-storm-7237706/|title=Anil Deshmukh: Rise and slow eclipse of leader who helmed ministry in many a govt|date=21 March 2021}} Vaze and Deshmukh were also involved in collecting extortion money in December 2020 from members of the Indian Hotel and Restaurant Association (AHAR).{{Cite web|url=https://www.mid-day.com/mumbai/mumbai-news/article/sharad-pawar-to-meet-uddhav-thackeray-decision-on-anil-deshmukh-today-23164814|title=Sharad Pawar to meet Uddhav Thackeray, decision on Anil Deshmukh today|date=22 March 2021|website=Mid-day}} Deshmukh was also under investigation by the Central Bureau of Investigation and Enforcement Directorate for money laundering, following accusations made by the former Mumbai Police commissioner Param Bir Singh.{{Cite news|agency=Press Trust of India|date=2021-08-29|title=Deshmukh case: ED summons Maha minister Anil Parab in money laundering case|work=Business Standard India|url=https://www.business-standard.com/article/current-affairs/deshmukh-case-ed-summons-maha-minister-anil-parab-in-money-laundering-case-121082900686_1.html|access-date=2021-09-23}}

On 23 February 2022, NCP President and leader Nawab Malik was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate in a money laundering case and his alleged links with underworld don Dawood Ibrahim.{{Cite news|last=Joshi|first=Neha|date=23 February 2022|title=Maharashtra minister Nawab Malik remanded to 8-day ED custody in Dawood Ibrahim money laundering case|work=Bar and Bench|url=https://www.barandbench.com/news/maharashtra-minister-nawab-malik-remanded-8-day-ed-custody-dawood-ibrahim-money-laundering-case|access-date=23 February 2022}}{{Cite news|last=Mishra|first=Sohit Rakesh|date=23 February 2022|title=Minister Nawab Malik Arrested, Maharashtra Government Says "Won't Sack Him"|work=NDTV|editor-last=Kumar|editor-first=Akhil|url=https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/nawab-malik-maharashtra-minister-and-ncp-leader-arrested-in-connection-with-money-laundering-case-after-questioning-today-2784486|access-date=23 February 2022}} He was charged and placed under arrest under the provisions of Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) after several hours of grilling.

On 14 May 2022, Marathi television actress Ketaki Chitale was arrested by Mumbai Police for allegedly sharing an objectionable post about Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar.{{Cite web|url= https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/regional/who-is-ketaki-chitale-marathi-actor-arrested-sharad-pawar-derogatory-post-7917548/|title= Who is Ketaki Chitale? The Marathi actor arrested for posting derogatory remarks against Sharad Pawar|date= 14 May 2022}} At the time of her arrest, NCP workers mobbed and attacked her and the officers who had arrested her. Chitale, who was molested, and her modesty was outraged by the NCP workers, and was later granted bail, was booked under IPC sections 500 (defamation), 501 (printing or engraving defamatory matter) and 153A (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language, etc., and doing acts prejudicial to maintenance of harmony) of the Indian Penal Code.{{Cite web|url= https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/ketaki-chitale-actor-to-ndtv-on-free-speech-22-cases-for-just-1-post-3124508#:~:text=Actor%20Ketaki%20Chitale%2C%20who%20was,uploading%20it%20on%20her%20profile.|title= "Pawar Is Not A Religion": Actor Ketaki Chitale Who Was Jailed For Post}}

• Politics of India
• List of political parties in India
• Maha Aghadi
• Politics of Maharashtra
• Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance

:1.{{note|a}}Praful Patel, Sunetra Pawar and Nitin Patil from Rajya Sabha and Sunil Tatkare from Lok Sabha.

{{Reflist|30em}}

• {{Official website|http://ncp.org.in/}}
• [http://ncp.orgfree.com Original Hosted Website Of NCP from 2007 AD] (originally https://www.nationalistcongressparty.com)

{{Indian political parties}}

{{National Democratic Alliance}}

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