‘Internal Matter’: Supriya Sule on Sunetra Pawar-Led NCP Faction’s Talks with Prashant Kishor
In the always shifting world of Maharashtra politics, where family ties and party lines often blur, a familiar name has once again stirred quiet conversation. Prashant Kishor, the political strategist who has turned politician with his Jan Suraaj Party, recently sat down for a long meeting with Sunetra Pawar, the Nationalist Congress Party chief and Maharashtra’s Deputy Chief Minister, along with her son, MP Parth Pawar. The meeting, held at Sunetra’s official residence Devgiri in south Mumbai, lasted several hours and focused, according to party sources, on ways to strengthen the organisation and ensure government schemes reach the ground level.
The timing was hard to miss. Kishor had just scored a notable win in the Bankipur assembly by-election in Bihar, defeating a BJP candidate in a seat linked to the party’s national president, Nitin Nabin. That result, coming against the weight of the BJP’s machinery, gave the meeting extra weight in political circles. Some saw it as a signal that the ruling NCP faction, still finding its footing after the sudden death of Ajit Pawar earlier this year, might be looking for fresh strategic advice.
On Saturday, Supriya Sule, working president of the rival NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar) faction and the sitting MP from Baramati, addressed the matter when reporters asked her about it. Her response was measured and personal at the same time.
“Prashant Kishor has been a good personal friend of mine for several years. I have closely followed his work and I have never hidden our friendship,” she told them. She made it clear that Kishor works on his own terms in his professional life and chooses his associations freely. Then came the key line: whether the Sunetra Pawar-led NCP wants to work with him or not is their internal matter.
Sule went further, offering praise for Kishor’s Bihar performance. She described the Bankipur result as a “very big battle” fought against a strong political machine. She pointed out that the BJP had underperformed even at the booth where its national president is registered as a voter. “Given this situation, we should appreciate Prashant Kishor. He is hardworking and has worked with several political parties over the years,” she said. Drawing a comparison close to home, she added that if her own side had held power from the local level all the way up and still seen a poor result at their booth in Katewadi in Baramati, she would have felt something was seriously wrong.
The remarks landed softly. There was no sharp criticism, no attempt to turn the meeting into a larger controversy between the two NCP factions that split in 2023. Instead, Sule kept the focus on friendship and professional independence while firmly placing the decision inside the other camp’s house. In Maharashtra’s charged political atmosphere, that restraint itself carried meaning.
The background makes the conversation more interesting. After Ajit Pawar’s death in a plane crash in January, Sunetra Pawar stepped into a more prominent leadership role. She had long been involved in social work in Baramati and only entered active electoral politics more recently. The NCP she heads remains part of the ruling Mahayuti alliance with the BJP and Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena. Some within the broader political space have watched closely to see how the party consolidates under her. Kishor’s earlier meeting with the family a few months ago had already raised eyebrows. This latest one, coming right after his Bihar success, added fresh speculation about a possible advisory role, though NCP spokespersons have described the discussions as internal and focused on organisational strengthening.
Party functionaries from the Sunetra camp have rejected reports that Kishor expressed unhappiness with the functioning of state president Sunil Tatkare or sought changes in leadership. They insist the talks stayed on practical matters of party building and governance delivery. Still, in a state where alliance equations and organisational strength can shift quickly, any high-profile outsider conversation tends to generate talk.
Sule’s comments also serve as a reminder of the complicated personal and political ties that run through the Pawar family and the two NCP groups. The Baramati seat itself has been a focal point of contest in the past, with Sule holding it against challenges from the other side of the family. Yet both sides have, at different moments, spoken of the need to keep personal relations separate from political battles. Sule’s decision to speak warmly about Kishor while drawing a clear boundary around the other faction’s choices fits that pattern.
For now, the meeting remains what both sides are calling an internal discussion. Kishor continues to build his own political path through Jan Suraaj, while the ruling NCP works to steady itself under Sunetra Pawar’s leadership. Supriya Sule’s response has neither fuelled the fire nor pretended the conversation never happened. In a political culture that often thrives on sharp exchanges, her calm framing of it as an “internal matter” may be the most telling part of the story.
Whether this interaction leads to any formal association or simply remains a private exchange is something only the Sunetra Pawar-led NCP will decide. As Sule put it, that choice belongs to them.
Sources:
Times of India, NDTV, The Hindu, News18, India Today (reports dated August 7–9, 2026).
‘Internal Matter’: Supriya Sule on Sunetra Pawar-Led NCP Faction’s Talks with Prashant Kishor
In the always shifting world of Maharashtra politics, where family ties and party lines often blur, a familiar name has once again stirred quiet conversation. Prashant Kishor, the political strategist who has turned politician with his Jan Suraaj Party, recently sat down for a long meeting with Sunetra Pawar, the Nationalist Congress Party chief and Maharashtra’s Deputy Chief Minister, along with her son, MP Parth Pawar. The meeting, held at Sunetra’s official residence Devgiri in south Mumbai, lasted several hours and focused, according to party sources, on ways to strengthen the organisation and ensure government schemes reach the ground level.
The timing was hard to miss. Kishor had just scored a notable win in the Bankipur assembly by-election in Bihar, defeating a BJP candidate in a seat linked to the party’s national president, Nitin Nabin. That result, coming against the weight of the BJP’s machinery, gave the meeting extra weight in political circles. Some saw it as a signal that the ruling NCP faction, still finding its footing after the sudden death of Ajit Pawar earlier this year, might be looking for fresh strategic advice.
On Saturday, Supriya Sule, working president of the rival NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar) faction and the sitting MP from Baramati, addressed the matter when reporters asked her about it. Her response was measured and personal at the same time.
“Prashant Kishor has been a good personal friend of mine for several years. I have closely followed his work and I have never hidden our friendship,” she told them. She made it clear that Kishor works on his own terms in his professional life and chooses his associations freely. Then came the key line: whether the Sunetra Pawar-led NCP wants to work with him or not is their internal matter.
Sule went further, offering praise for Kishor’s Bihar performance. She described the Bankipur result as a “very big battle” fought against a strong political machine. She pointed out that the BJP had underperformed even at the booth where its national president is registered as a voter. “Given this situation, we should appreciate Prashant Kishor. He is hardworking and has worked with several political parties over the years,” she said. Drawing a comparison close to home, she added that if her own side had held power from the local level all the way up and still seen a poor result at their booth in Katewadi in Baramati, she would have felt something was seriously wrong.
The remarks landed softly. There was no sharp criticism, no attempt to turn the meeting into a larger controversy between the two NCP factions that split in 2023. Instead, Sule kept the focus on friendship and professional independence while firmly placing the decision inside the other camp’s house. In Maharashtra’s charged political atmosphere, that restraint itself carried meaning.
The background makes the conversation more interesting. After Ajit Pawar’s death in a plane crash in January, Sunetra Pawar stepped into a more prominent leadership role. She had long been involved in social work in Baramati and only entered active electoral politics more recently. The NCP she heads remains part of the ruling Mahayuti alliance with the BJP and Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena. Some within the broader political space have watched closely to see how the party consolidates under her. Kishor’s earlier meeting with the family a few months ago had already raised eyebrows. This latest one, coming right after his Bihar success, added fresh speculation about a possible advisory role, though NCP spokespersons have described the discussions as internal and focused on organisational strengthening.
Party functionaries from the Sunetra camp have rejected reports that Kishor expressed unhappiness with the functioning of state president Sunil Tatkare or sought changes in leadership. They insist the talks stayed on practical matters of party building and governance delivery. Still, in a state where alliance equations and organisational strength can shift quickly, any high-profile outsider conversation tends to generate talk.
Sule’s comments also serve as a reminder of the complicated personal and political ties that run through the Pawar family and the two NCP groups. The Baramati seat itself has been a focal point of contest in the past, with Sule holding it against challenges from the other side of the family. Yet both sides have, at different moments, spoken of the need to keep personal relations separate from political battles. Sule’s decision to speak warmly about Kishor while drawing a clear boundary around the other faction’s choices fits that pattern.
For now, the meeting remains what both sides are calling an internal discussion. Kishor continues to build his own political path through Jan Suraaj, while the ruling NCP works to steady itself under Sunetra Pawar’s leadership. Supriya Sule’s response has neither fuelled the fire nor pretended the conversation never happened. In a political culture that often thrives on sharp exchanges, her calm framing of it as an “internal matter” may be the most telling part of the story.
Whether this interaction leads to any formal association or simply remains a private exchange is something only the Sunetra Pawar-led NCP will decide. As Sule put it, that choice belongs to them.
Sources:
Times of India, NDTV, The Hindu, News18, India Today (reports dated August 7–9, 2026).
@Rohit Manral
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