Political activity has intensified once again in Maharashtra, with reports claiming that both factions of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) have received a proposal to reunite and join the National Democratic Alliance (NDA).
According to media reports, the Centre is expected to introduce constitutional amendment Bills related to the Women’s Reservation Act and the Delimitation Bill during the upcoming Monsoon Session of Parliament.
Reports suggest that the NDA leadership has proposed that both NCP factions reunite as a single party and become an NDA ally, instead of either faction merging with the BJP.
There is also speculation that the NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar) may reconsider its stand on the Delimitation Bill under certain conditions. Some believe this softer approach could indicate the possibility of closer ties with the NDA. The BJP is reportedly trying to strengthen its numbers in Parliament ahead of the Monsoon Session.
Proposal to offer Cabinet posts to both factions
According to sources, the BJP leadership has proposed two Union Cabinet positions for the two NCP factions, the Sunetra Pawar faction and the Sharad Pawar faction, if they agree to reunite as one party.
The proposal is said to be aimed at maintaining a balance of power between both sides.
Recently, NCP’s Praful Patel and Sunil Tatkare met at CM Devendra Fadnavis’s house in Mumbai.
Reports of differences within the NCP
Sources within the NCP said the BJP leadership has held initial discussions with Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Sunetra Pawar and leaders from her faction, although no final decision has been taken.
The outcome is said to depend on the ongoing differences between Sunetra Pawar and senior party leaders.
According to sources, Rajya Sabha MP Parth Pawar, Sunetra Pawar’s elder son, wants his mother to become the party’s national president if a merger takes place.
He is also said to favour her taking charge of the state’s finance department, which was earlier held by Ajit Pawar before his death in January and is now with Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.
However, senior leaders including Sunil Tatkare, Praful Patel, and Chhagan Bhujbal reportedly believe that any power-sharing arrangement should take all senior leaders into account.
They reportedly feel that if one faction demands the Union Cabinet posts, the state finance ministry and the post of national president, it could create difficulties, especially as the Sharad Pawar faction is unlikely to agree.
Sharad Pawar and Maharashtra Deputy CM Eknath Shinde met in Mumbai on July 8.
Sharad Pawar faction in talks with both BJP and Congress
Meanwhile, the NCP (Sharad Pawar faction) is reportedly open to discussions with both the Congress and the BJP-led NDA.
According to sources, the party’s eight Lok Sabha MPs and 10 MLAs are divided over the future direction of the party.
Some leaders reportedly favour joining the NDA, while others support merging with the Congress.
Sources claim that Sharad Pawar would consider a merger with the Congress only if Supriya Sule is given a major organisational role.
The reported demands include appointing a Pawar supporter as Maharashtra Congress President, making Supriya Sule a Congress Vice-President, and giving adequate representation to Pawar supporters in the Congress Working Committee (CWC).
Another source claimed that an influential section of the party supports joining the BJP-led NDA. It is also claimed that discussions included the possibility of a Union ministerial post for Supriya Sule and two ministerial posts for Pawar supporters. However, none of these claims has been officially confirmed.
Modi government needs the numbers for the ‘Delimitation Bill’
With the NCP joining the NDA, the Modi government has moved closer to securing a two-thirds majority in Parliament, which is needed to pass a Constitutional Amendment Bill.
The government is trying to gather enough support to pass constitutional amendment bills for implementing the Women’s Reservation law and the Delimitation Bill, which proposes increasing the number of seats in Parliament and state legislatures. These efforts failed during a special session of the Rajya Sabha in April.
Since then, 37 MPs from four opposition parties in the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha have joined the ruling alliance. While the government’s strength in both Houses has increased since April, it is still short of the two-thirds majority required to pass a constitutional amendment.
Lok Sabha: 42 votes short of the two-thirds mark
- In the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP won 240 seats. The NDA also included 16 MPs from Chandrababu Naidu’s TDP, 12 from Nitish Kumar’s JD(U), seven from the Shiv Sena (Shinde faction), five from the LJP (Ram Vilas), and 13 from other parties, taking the alliance’s total to 292—20 more than the majority mark.
- On 14 June 2026, 20 Lok Sabha MPs, including TMC leader Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar, joined the NDA-backed Nationalist Citizens Party, increasing the NDA’s strength in the Lok Sabha from 292 to 312.
- In June, six of the nine Lok Sabha MPs from Uddhav Thackeray’s Shiv Sena faction in Maharashtra joined the NDA ally, Shiv Sena (Shinde faction). This raised the NDA’s tally in the Lok Sabha to 318.
- At present, three Lok Sabha seats are vacant—Nagaon in Assam, Basirhat in West Bengal, and Shillong in Meghalaya. This means the House currently has a maximum strength of 540 MPs. As a result, the NDA is 42 votes short of the two-thirds majority mark of 360.
Rajya Sabha: 11 votes short of the two-thirds mark
- After the April 2026 Rajya Sabha elections, in which seven AAP MPs from Punjab joined the BJP, the NDA’s strength in the Upper House rose to 149 MPs, including 114 from the BJP. This gave the alliance 27 more seats than the simple majority mark in the 245-member Rajya Sabha.
- On 9 July, three TMC Rajya Sabha MPs—Sukhendu Shekhar Ray, Sushmita Dev and Prakash Chik Baraik—left the party and joined the BJP. They were elected unopposed to the Rajya Sabha on 17 July, taking the NDA’s tally to 152.
- TMC MP Koyal Malik also resigned on 16 July, and there is speculation that she may join the BJP.
- A two-thirds majority in the Rajya Sabha requires 163 votes. The NDA is currently 11 votes short of that mark.
