NCP leaders meet Shah as party rejects claims of division

Senior Nationalist Congress Party leaders met Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Delhi after party president Sunetra Pawar had arranged the meeting, the party said, rejecting claims that the gathering showed she had been sidelined or that the NCP was divided. NCP spokesperson Umesh Patil said Sunetra Pawar and her son, Rajya Sabha MP Parth Pawar, had met Shah earlier to discuss issues facing the party and that she requested a meeting for senior leaders. Patil said the party remained united under her leadership and that the Delhi meeting was planned in advance. The delegation included Praful Patel, Sunil Tatkare, Dilip Walse Patil, Hasan Mushrif, Chhagan Bhujbal and Dhananjay Munde. Reports placed the meeting late Sunday, November 1. After returning to Maharashtra on Monday, some leaders held closed-door discussions at Bhujbal’s residence, according to one account. An NCP leader who said they were privy to the Delhi discussion told one report that Shah urged party leaders to address organisational problems, saying they affected the wider Mahayuti alliance. That report also said the delegation raised concerns about delayed cabinet portfolios and party organisation. These details...