NCP-SP Faces Internal Questions Over Withdrawal Of Ghodbunder Road TDR Plea; Leadership Denies Rift

Thane: The withdrawal of a High Court plea challenging the controversial Transferable Development Rights (TDR) issue linked to land along Ghodbunder Road has triggered questions within the Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar faction) in Thane. While a party functionary demanded accountability over the decision, the Thane unit has maintained that the episode stemmed from a communication gap rather than any major internal rift.

The dispute concerns a large parcel of land in the Manpada–Tikuji-ni-Wadi area near Sanjay Gandhi National Park. The TDR issue has remained a politically sensitive subject, with opposition leaders and activists raising concerns over land-related decisions, environmental safeguards and the impact of further development on Thane's already strained civic infrastructure.

Three corporators — Abhijit Ankush Pawar, Mohammad Yasin Mohammad Ayyub Qureshi and Manisha Bhagat — withdrew their application concerning the matter on September 28, 2026. The move prompted questions among party workers, particularly because the NCP-SP had earlier organised protests and raised objections to the development-related decisions.

Leadership Seeks Clarity Over Withdrawal

NCP-SP Thane working president Prakash Patil criticised the withdrawal, saying the decision had been taken individually and had not received formal approval at the party level. He said the issue would be raised at party meetings and that the circumstances surrounding the move should be examined.

Patil also referred to several other civic and land-related issues previously taken up by the party, including the Mental Hospital land controversy, developments in the Yeoor eco-sensitive zone, the Phoenix Mall project at Kapurbawdi, internal Metro rail planning and the Amazon project at Balkum. He stressed that the party's public campaigns should not be treated as individual initiatives detached from the organisation.

It Is a Small Misunderstanding

However, NCP-SP Thane president Manoj Pradhan played down suggestions of a serious internal dispute. Speaking to The Free Press Journal, he said the three corporators had decided to withdraw their plea independently and that some party workers were unaware of the explanation provided at a press conference held earlier this week.

“There is no disparity among our workers. It was a misunderstanding over the decision taken by the three corporators. The party has discussed the issue internally, and it is now sorted out,” Pradhan said.

Rejecting allegations that the party was retreating from its responsibilities, he said the NCP-SP had consistently opposed unplanned development and raised questions over the TDR issue, the Mental Hospital land controversy and other civic concerns.

Pradhan added that the party's objective had always been to make residents aware of decisions affecting the city's land, environment and infrastructure. He cited the public mobilisation over the TDR issue, saying nearly 3,000 people had taken to the streets during a Sunday protest, but the subsequent developments had offered little indication that continuing the same legal challenge would produce a favourable outcome.

He also said the party had spoken to the person who raised the matter publicly and explained the circumstances behind the withdrawal.

Civic Accountability Remains the Larger Issue

The controversy has once again brought the Ghodbunder TDR dispute into focus, highlighting the competing questions of legal strategy, political accountability and the future of development in Thane.

Pradhan maintained that the episode would not alter the party's approach towards civic issues. He said the NCP-SP would continue to raise its voice against alleged corruption and unplanned development, while seeking to keep residents informed about decisions that could affect the city's environment and public infrastructure.

For the party's local leadership, the immediate task is to address the communication gap among workers while ensuring that the controversy over the withdrawn plea does not overshadow its wider campaign on Thane's development issues.

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