Supriya Sule Denies NDA Deal, Rejects Speculation Over Delimitation Bill Support

MUMBAI — NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar) working president Supriya Sule on Wednesday dismissed intense speculation that her party would support the Centre's upcoming Delimitation Bill or align with the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA), calling the reports baseless.

Addressing a press conference, Sule clarified that the party has not received any proposal or "deal" regarding the Delimitation Bill, and said the NCP (SP) would study the draft legislation once it is tabled in Parliament and announce its official position within 24 hours.

Rumours of NDA Alignment Rejected

Speculation had intensified through Wednesday morning after several media outlets, citing unnamed sources, reported that the Sharad Pawar faction was preparing to back the Centre on the constitutional amendment bill for constituency delimitation, fueling talk of a possible alignment with the NDA or Mahayuti in Maharashtra.

Sule firmly denied this, saying the party has received no proposal from the NDA and remains committed to working for the people. She also addressed recent images of Sharad Pawar sitting in Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde's cabin, explaining it was simply because Pawar has difficulty walking long distances, and that Shinde had graciously stepped out of a Cabinet meeting to welcome him.

Conditional Openness on Delimitation

Sule indicated the NCP (SP) could consider supporting the Delimitation Bill if it includes a provision ensuring a uniform, roughly 50% increase in Lok Sabha seats across all states — an option she said was discussed during an all-party meeting chaired by Union Home Minister Amit Shah. She stressed, however, that no official party stance would be taken until the final draft is made public.

Reaffirms INDIA Bloc Ties

Sule reiterated that the NCP (SP) remains firmly part of the INDIA alliance and dismissed reports of any merger or realignment, noting she had spoken with Sharad Pawar, Jayant Patil, state chief Shashikanth Shinde, party MLAs and MPs, as well as Congress and Shiv Sena (UBT) leaders to reassure them ahead of her press conference. She urged the media to rely on official, on-record statements rather than unnamed sources.