MUMBAI: Sharad Pawar's NCP (SP) appears to be facing internal divisions over the prospect of joining hands with the BJP, with party sources indicating that while Pawar wants to keep his distance, several Lok Sabha MPs and MLAs favour exploring an alliance with the ruling party.
According to party sources, the 86-year-old Pawar has categorically conveyed to senior party leaders that he is not comfortable joining hands with the BJP at the fag end of his political career.
Rejecting speculation about the NCP (SP) joining the ruling alliance, Sule said the media had been predicting her swearing-in and ministerial portfolio for the past 12 years.
Notably, the NCP (SP) has 10 Lok Sabha MPs.
Similarly, nine of the party's 10 MLAs are said to favour joining hands with the BJP, with Rohit Pawar the lone dissenter.
MUMBAI: Sharad Pawar's NCP (SP) appears to be facing internal divisions over the prospect of joining hands with the BJP, with party sources indicating that while Pawar wants to keep his distance, several Lok Sabha MPs and MLAs favour exploring an alliance with the ruling party.
According to party sources, the 86-year-old Pawar has categorically conveyed to senior party leaders that he is not comfortable joining hands with the BJP at the fag end of his political career.
However, those in favour of the move believe they should initiate talks with the BJP and assess what it is willing to offer.
The buzz in the Opposition camp comes weeks after six MPs of Maha Vikas Aghadi ally Shiv Sena (UBT) switched to ruling Shiv Sena.
The NCP (SP)'s stand on the BJP's proposed Delimitation Bill is likely to emerge as a litmus test for Sharad Pawar and his daughter, Supriya Sule, signalling where the party intends to position itself in Maharashtra's evolving political landscape.
The issue gained prominence on Wednesday after Sule, the party's working president, said there would be "little reason to oppose" the Bill if it proposed a uniform 50% increase in seats across all states.
Sule, however, said any decision on supporting the legislation would be taken only after discussions within the INDIA bloc.
Rejecting speculation about the NCP (SP) joining the ruling alliance, Sule said the media had been predicting her swearing-in and ministerial portfolio for the past 12 years.
Notably, the NCP (SP) has 10 Lok Sabha MPs. Of them, six are reportedly keen to join the BJP-led government at the Centre, while two — Sule and Amol Kolhe — are opposed to the move.
Similarly, nine of the party's 10 MLAs are said to favour joining hands with the BJP, with Rohit Pawar the lone dissenter.
