Inside Parth Pawar’s NCP: How Ajit’s son now runs the party he was kept away from

Until January this year, Parth Pawar occupied an unusual place within the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP). He was Ajit Pawar’s son, had lost the 2019 Lok Sabha election from Maval by over 2.15 lakh votes, and sat through meetings of MLAs more as an observer than a participant. Senior leaders say Ajit Pawar rarely involved him in important political decisions and, during the Pune municipal corporation elections, even asked him to stay away from the campaign.Six months later, the 36-year-old Rajya Sabha MP has emerged as the principal power centre within the NCP. At present, he is party’s national general secretary.According to party leaders, bureaucrats and associates, few significant organisational decisions are taken without his approval. His influence has grown rapidly after his father’