Full stop on merger talks, says Sule, rules out joining NDA

MUMBAI: For the second time in a span of three days, Supriya Sule, national working president of the NCP (SP) quelled speculation about a possible merger with the rival NCP, led by deputy chief minister Sunetra Pawar. At a media interaction on Saturday at Silver Oak, her residence in Mumbai, she declared that she was "putting a full stop" to discussions of reunification.

"I am repeating this for the last time - I am bored of this issue. We had discussions with Ajit Dada on the merger, but after his death we never made any statement on the matter," she said.

When asked if the discussions with Ajit Pawar had involved the NCP joining the Opposition or whether NCP (SP) would join the government, Sule refused to divulge details. "My brother is no longer with us, and we should not speak about someone who has passed away. I will not comment on this because whatever was discussed and decided was strictly between my brother and me," she said.

Would the merger not be a tribute to Ajit Pawar? While indicating the current NCP leadership was not keen on it, she said: "One has to respect other's sentiments. Everyone has their own through and perspective, shaped by their nature."

While quashing the idea of her party joining the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) -- asking, "How can I put a full stop to something that does not exist in the first place?" -- she noted that the NCP (SP) would consider backing the Delimitation Bill if Lok Sabha seats are increased by a uniform 50% across all states. She argued that a surging electorate -- which now exceeds 30-40 lakh voters in some constituencies -- has made it increasingly difficult for MPs to connect with every constituency.

She said that her party was clear in its stand on the issue since the time it was first discussed in the Parliament. "I have clarified my position on the matter in the past. The central government placed a proposal before us stating that the number of Lok Sabha seats would be increased proportionately by 50% in every state - right from Kashmir to Kanyakumari. I had then said if such a proposal was brought forward, we would have no reason to oppose," she emphasised.

"As an elected representative, I found the proposal reasonable because the electorate in our constituencies has grown, making it difficult for an MP to serve all singlehandedly. If there is a uniform 50% increase in seats, along with priority being given to the Women's Reservation Bill, which we have already unanimously approved in Parliament, it is worth considering," she clarified, adding the delimitation exercise was first carried out by the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) back in 2007.

Sunetra meets Fadnavis

Meanwhile, NCP president and deputy chief minister Sunetra Pawar met chief minister Devendra Fadnavis at his official residence, Varsha, on Saturday afternoon. The meeting between the two leaders lasted nearly two hours, said people in the know of things.

While Sunetra remained tight-lipped about the meeting, later in the evening, Fadnavis clarified that was purely official, dismissing all curiosities about any discussion of a possible merger. "Sunetra Pawar met me in connection with government-related work. We did not discuss anything about a possible merger between the two NCP factions," he told reporters in Nagpur in the evening.

"I would like to reiterate that if any discussion regarding a merger between the two factions were underway, they would certainly have informed us (BJP) as well, since we are partners in the government. Even if any preliminary discussions had taken place, we would certainly have been kept in the loop," he added.

Commenting on Sule's stand on the Delimitation Bill, the chief minister said, "Today, Supriya Sule made it clear that they are willing to support the Delimitation Bill. This puts to rest speculation that the BJP-led government needs the support of the NCP (SP) faction to get the Bill passed, and that such a possibility could lead to a merger between the two NCP factions. These speculations should now come to an end."

Meanwhile, senior NCP minister Chhagan Bhujbal also weighed in on the NCP merger buzz on Saturday, saying the decision should be taken collectively instead of holding individual meetings. "The Pawar family shares close relations. I would be happy to see the Thackeray family coming together. However, I would be even happier if the Pawar family comes together," he said in response to a question.