The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) is one of the most significant political parties in India today. It is a partner in the current UPA government at the Centre. Three of its NCP members are Ministers in the Union Cabinet. NCP President, Sharad Pawar is India’s Union Minister for Agriculture. The Two other NCP representatives are Praful Patel, the Minister of Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises and Tariq Anwar, the Minister of State for Agriculture and food Processing Industries.

The NCP was established in 1999. But the party soon created history, when within months of its formation, 8 of its candidates won the Lok Sabha elections. Impressed by its performance, the Election Commission conferred the "National Recognized Party" status on NCP. This was the only instance in the history of Indian political news, when a party obtained the national status after just Three months of its formation.

The NCP believes in a democratic secular society and is committed to promoting equality for all sections of the society.