Fadnavis meets leaders of NCP factions, fuels fresh buzz about their merger

MEeting betwixt Maharashtra Chief government government minister and NCP LeadersMaharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis met leaders of both factions of the nationalistic u.s. Congress Party (NCP) at his Mumbai residence on Tuesday evening, fuelling speculation about efforts to reunite them with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)’s approval.NCP leader Praful Patel and Sunil Tatkare attended the meeting even as Nationalist Congress Party – Sharadchandra Pawar (NCP–SP) leader Jayant Patil, who was reported to have been part of it, denied attending. People aware of the matter said the meeting lasted nearly an hour.The meeting comes amid growing speculation that the Sharad Pawar-led NCP–SP is preparing to join the ruling BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA).The people cited above said the NCP–SP leadership has sought the views of its lawmakers, and a majority favoured joining the governments at both the Centre and in Maharashtra. Top NCP–SP leaders have been reaching out to those opposed to such a political realignment to build consensus.The two factions were in discussions on a possible reunification, and the merger formula was almost finalised and about to be announced when NCP chief Ajit Pawar died in a plane crash in Baramati on January 28.NCP–SP leaders, including Sharad Pawar, indicated that the merged party was expected to become part of the NDA. But the plan was put on hold following Ajit Pawar’s death. Subsequently, the new NCP chief, Sunetra Pawar, Ajit Pawar’s widow, opposed the merger.An NCP–SP leader said most of their lawmakers are keen to join the government as it helps address their issues, including development funds. “Our first preference has always been a merger with the NCP. If reunification is back on the table, it will be welcomed by the party leadership.”The fresh merger speculation comes weeks after six Shiv Sena (UBT) members of Parliament (MPs) last month defected to the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena, an NDA constituent. Earlier, 20 Trinamool Congress (TMC) MPs announced their defection to the little-known Nationalist Citizen Party of India (NCPI), which is allied with the NDA, after the party lost power in West Bengal.The defections came against the backdrop of the NDA government’s keenness on passing the delimitation bill. The NDA needs a two-thirds majority in the Lok Sabha to pass the bill. The TMC and Shiv Sena (UBT) played a key role in defeating the constitutional amendment bill for delimitation earlier this year.In 2019, the BJP’s tally dropped below the majority mark in Parliament, making it dependent on the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and Janata Dal (United) or JD(U) for retaining power. The BJP secured 240 seats in the 543-member Lok Sabha. The Congress-led opposition alliance bagged 234. The TDP’s 16 seats and the JD(U)’s 12 seats helped the NDA cross the majority mark, reaching 293 seats.The NDA’s strength in the Lok Sabha has risen following defections and splintering within the TMC and Shiv Sena (UBT). It is still short of the two-thirds majority mark of 363 seats. NCP-SP has eight seats in the Lok Sabha and one in the Rajya Sabha.