Mumbai, June 11 (IANS) The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) national president and Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister, Sunetra Pawar, on Thursday issued a stern warning to party members, emphasising that indiscipline will no longer be tolerated under the watchful eye of an increasingly vigilant public and media sphere.

She signalled an era of strict accountability while warning leaders against prioritising personal growth. To ensure organisational efficiency, the party leadership announced a series of sweeping structural mandates.

In her emotionally charged address at the rally to mark NCP’s 27th Foundation Day, Sunetra Pawar said the party will employ independent, third-party agencies to strictly evaluate the performance of all ministers, MLAs and MLCs. Every NCP minister will be assigned guardianship of four districts. Ministers must dedicate three days a week to party organisation and host taluka-level Janata Darbars (public grievance meets) to foster grass-roots growth.

She further stated that MLCs will act as district chiefs, Rajya Sabha MPs will manage two districts, and MLAs will take charge of neighbouring constituencies where the party finished in second place during previous elections.

“For too long, some have prioritised personal growth over the party’s growth. That dynamic changes now,” the National President declared.

“Future government opportunities, cabinet slots and state corporation board appointments will strictly favour loyalty, performance and merit,” she noted.

Sunetra Pawar underscored a renewed focus on organisational discipline, strategic expansion, and grassroots accountability following the demise of its national president, Ajit Pawar. She set a clear, strict roadmap for ministers, lawmakers and party workers in preparation for upcoming local body elections and future constituency realignments.

She acknowledged the profound void left by Ajit Pawar, affectionately known as ‘Dada’, noting that this Foundation Day marked the party’s first anniversary since his passing.

“This year’s theme, ‘Dedication, Struggle and Resolve’, is entirely dedicated to Dada,” Sunetra Pawar said, adding that Ajit Pawar accepted the national presidency on June 30, 2023, and even within a brief two-and-a-half-year tenure, he carved out a national identity for the NCP.

Reaffirming its current political alignments, the NCP stated its unwavering commitment to working with the NDA at the federal level under Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah, as well as within the Mahayuti alliance in Maharashtra. However, Sunetra Pawar stressed that political alignments will not dilute the party’s core progressive values.

Looking ahead to impending constituency delimitation, she noted that urban pockets are expected to see a significant rise in legislative seats. While the NCP remains a powerhouse in rural Maharashtra, a comprehensive, targeted expansion plan is currently being deployed to capture urban voters’ mindsets. Booth Level Agents (BLAs) have been directed to closely coordinate with the Election Commission’s Booth Level Officers (BLOs) for voter list verification. The party will also launch an intensive Graduate and Teacher Constituency voter registration drive spanning from June 15 to October 15, 2026, she said.

Sunetra Pawar mentioned the recent victories in the Zilla Parishad and Panchayat Samiti polls, attributing the success to the foundational work laid by Ajit Pawar. Special gratitude was extended to the voters of Baramati for yielding record-breaking mandates during the recent bye-elections.

She highlighted successful welfare policies driving the alliance government’s public approval, including the Ladki Bahin Yojana, which provides financial autonomy to women, alongside upcoming independent schemes for single women, a farm loan waiver, and the provision of free electricity for agricultural water pumps, cementing the party’s pro-farmer stance.

Concluding the address with a stirring poetic resolve, Sunetra Pawar assured workers that the party would never retreat from adversity. Invoking the party’s official electoral symbol, the clock, she noted: “We have never turned our ships around looking at the storm. The journey of the clock’s hands will not stop, and the NCP will never back down from the battlefield of struggle.”

The convention wrapped up with a unified call to action for every worker to take the campaign slogan, “Gharoghari NCP, Manomani NCP” (NCP in every home, NCP in every heart), to every corner of the state.

–IANS

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