NCP Merger First, NDA Entry Later: BJP's Big Maharashtra Plan

Any official alignment of the Sharad Pawar faction of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) with the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) would require the reunification of the NCP's two rival groups, sources said, citing senior figures within the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). 

This development comes amid rumblings of political reunions in Maharashtra, fuelled by recent meetings between leaders from both NCP camps and key figures in the ruling dispensation.

The NCP formally divided in July 2023 when Ajit Pawar, along with several senior colleagues, broke away to join the BJP-Shiv Sena government in Maharashtra. The Election Commission (EC) subsequently recognised the Ajit Pawar faction as the legitimate claimant to the party's name and election symbol.

The opposing group, headed by the veteran Sharad Pawar, operates as the Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar), commonly referred to as NCP(SP). As of mid-2026, the two sides continue to function separately in both state and national politics, but discussions about possible reunification have intensified in recent weeks.

The BJP's Plan

According to sources within the BJP, the party's position is that the NCP as an entity would be considered for closer ties with the NDA only after the two factions resolve their differences and merge. There is little appetite, sources say, for bringing Sharad Pawar or his key associates into the alliance on an individual basis.

The ruling faction of the NCP, which shares power in Maharashtra with the BJP and the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena, has been vocal about its expectations at the national level. On Friday, the party said that its workers were keen to see Parth Pawar, a Rajya Sabha member who took oath in April, inducted into the Union council of ministers during any future cabinet expansion.

NCP spokesperson Umesh Patil said that such sentiments were natural among party workers. 

"The NCP, as an NDA constituent, expects representation in the Union cabinet whenever an expansion takes place," he said. 

However, Patil was careful to add that the final decision rests solely with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and would also require the consent of Parth Pawar and Sunetra Pawar, the latter being deputy chief minister and president of the ruling NCP unit in the state.

Reports of internal differences within the ruling NCP have circulated in recent days, though senior leaders Praful Patel and Sunil Tatkare have dismissed them.

The Parliamentary Maths

The renewed speculation coincides with the NDA government's plans to introduce the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill in the Monsoon session of Parliament, beginning Monday. The legislation seeks to increase the number of Lok Sabha seats to 850 and trigger a fresh delimitation exercise.

The NCP(SP) holds eight seats in the Lok Sabha and one in the Rajya Sabha. Its support, or at least its neutrality, could prove significant for the government. 

Supriya Sule, working president of the NCP(SP) and MP from Baramati,  earlier this week said that if the proposed delimitation were based on a uniform 50 per cent increase in seats across all states, "there would be little reason to oppose it". She added, however, that any decision would follow internal consultations within the INDIA bloc and that the party had not issued any formal statement of support.

Sule has repeatedly rejected suggestions that her party is preparing to cross over to the NDA. 

"The media has been predicting my swearing-in and ministerial portfolio for the past 12 years," she said, downplaying rumours.

Meetings And Denials

Political chatter gained further momentum following a late-night meeting at the official residence of Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Wednesday involving leaders from both NCP factions. 

According to sources the discussions were issue-specific rather than part of a realignment strategy.

Senior NCP(SP) leader Jayant Patil confirmed he had met the Chief Minister to discuss a local administrative matter concerning his constituency in Sangli district.

"There was no political discussion," he said, adding that talks of a merger with the Ajit Pawar-led group had effectively ended after Ajit Pawar's death in an air crash earlier this year.

Patil also met Eknath Shinde today, seeking his intervention in the disqualification of Urun-Islampur Municipal Council president Anandrao Malgunde and councillor Sunil Malgunde over an alleged encroachment case.

Sharad Pawar himself was reported to have held a meeting of his MLAs in the office of Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde last week. Sule described the choice of venue as "pure coincidence".

Source: NDTV Trending