Mumbai: On Tuesday, NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar visited the protesters at Jantar Mantar in Delhi and advised the Centre to give them a hearing, in sync with the opposition front against the Modi govt on the CJP agitation. However, on Wednesday, Pawar was photographed meeting with PM Modi in Parliament, further raising speculation over whether his party was discussing its likely support for the Centre’s delimitation bill.The party’s position, as spelt out by MP Supriya Sule, who was also present at Wednesday’s meeting, is that the NCP (SP) was open to supporting the bill if it led to a 50% rise in the parliamentary seats in all states. It is possible that the Centre may introduce the bill in the ongoing monsoon session of Parliament, which has currently been overtaken by the protests. The bill had been defeated in April.After the exit of six Shiv Sena (UBT) MPs in June to join the NDA, there has been rising pressure within the NCP (SP) to retain its flock. With the delimitation bill a likely trigger for another split, there has been increasing speculation about the NCP (SP) legislators supporting the bill while remaining in the party or merging with the NCP.While both the NCP and NCP (SP) have said there is no proposal regarding a merger on the cards, the BJP has made it clear that no new party from the state will be taken into the NDA. This suggests that a merger is the only option available for the NCP (SP). However, BJP sources said that if the NCP (SP) MPs support the delimitation bill, it will not even need the party to merge with the NCP.However, the NCP (SP)’s state chief Shashikant Shinde said that there was no political motive to Pawar’s meeting with Modi and he only went to present the views of the protesting students. “He had visited the protesters at Jantar Mantar and he wanted the government to have a dialogue with them. He went to convey their issues to the Prime Minister. Our stand on the delimitation bill is already clear,” Shinde said.
