Mumbai/Delhi, July 15: The Sharad Pawar led Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) may support the NDA government’s proposed Delimitation Bill if it guarantees a uniform 50 percent increase in Lok Sabha seats for every state, according to sources.
The development could mark a shift from the Opposition’s united stand after several parties opposed the Bill during the recent Parliament session.
The speculation gained momentum after reports of late night meetings between Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and senior leaders from both NCP factions. The meetings have also revived discussions about a possible reunion between the Sharad Pawar and Ajit Pawar groups.
Responding to the reports, NCP (Sharad Pawar) MP Supriya Sule said the party’s stand would depend on the final version of the Bill. However, she made it clear that the party would support the proposal if the government ensured a 50 percent increase in Lok Sabha seats for all states and clearly defined its implementation.
Sule said this condition aligns with the party’s long standing position on the delimitation exercise.
Her remarks also echoed an assurance made earlier by Union Home Minister Amit Shah during the Lok Sabha debate. Shah had stated that the government was willing to amend the Bill to ensure that no state would lose representation and that every state would receive a uniform 50 percent increase in Lok Sabha seats.
He had said that if the demand was for a 50 percent increase across all states, the government was prepared to bring an official amendment. However, the proposed amendment was not included in the final version of the Bill.
The Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, 2026, which proposed implementing women’s reservation and expanding the Lok Sabha to 850 seats, failed to secure the required two thirds majority in the Lok Sabha on April 17.
Meanwhile, Supriya Sule also said senior NCP leader Jayant Patil had sought a meeting with Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis regarding action taken against the president of the party’s municipal council.
