Daijiworld Media Network – Mumbai

Mumbai, Nov 11: Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar’s faction of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) on Monday announced a new list of 17 party spokespersons, leaving out several well-known faces including MLC Amol Mitkari, Rupali Patil-Thombare, Vaishali Nagawade, and Sanjay Tatkare. Interestingly, Rupali Chakankar’s name has been retained, while Mitkari and Patil’s exclusion has stirred political chatter in Maharashtra.

According to party sources, Mitkari’s outspoken stand—often seen as critical of Mahayuti allies while defending the party line—may have cost him his position. Similarly, Rupali Patil-Thombare’s removal is believed to be linked to her recent conflict with Rupali Chakankar, the chairperson of the Maharashtra State Commission for Women.

Reacting to the new list, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sushma Andhare raised doubts about growing influence within the Ajit Pawar-led NCP. “Appointing office-bearers is the internal matter of any party, but it’s surprising that both Amol Mitkari and Rupali Thombare, who have always defended Ajit Dada, are missing from the list,” she said.

Andhare further alleged that the party might be gradually coming under the control of senior leader Sunil Tatkare. “Those who remain silent when Mahayuti MLAs attack Ajit Dada but fiercely defend Tatkare are being rewarded. Maybe that’s why Suraj Chavan has been included in the list. Is Tatkare slowly taking over the party? This should be a warning bell for Ajit Dada,” she remarked.

The internal dispute between Rupali Chakankar and Rupali Patil has been brewing for weeks. Following the suicide of a woman doctor at the Phaltan sub-district hospital, Patil accused Chakankar of tarnishing the deceased’s character and led a protest against her own party colleague. She also publicly criticized Chakankar through the media. The party later issued a show-cause notice to Patil, and just two days after that, she was dropped from the spokesperson panel—fueling speculation that her confrontation with Chakankar cost her dearly.

New NCP spokespersons announced

Anil Patil, Chetan Tupe, Sana Malik, Hemlata Patil, Rajiv Sable, Sayali Dalvi, Rupali Chakankar, Anand Paranjpe, Shashikant Tarange, Rajalakshmi Bhosale, Pratibha Shinde, Prashant Pawar, Brijmohan Srivastava, Avinash Adik, Suraj Chavan, Vikas Pasalkar, and Shyam Senar.