The BJP has intensified efforts to secure parliamentary numbers for passing Constitution Amendment Bills on the Women’s Reservation Act and the Delimitation Bill. Party leaders have proposed that the two factions of the Nationalist Congress Party reunite and join the NDA as an alliance partner rather than merge with the ruling party. Highly placed sources indicated that the BJP offered two Union Cabinet berths to balance influence between the Sunetra Pawar-led group and Sharad Pawar’s NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar) if they merge into one entity. The leadership prefers to keep the NCP as a distinct NDA member to help consolidate non-Brahmin and Maratha support in Maharashtra without weakening other allies. Preliminary talks have occurred, yet the plan remains undecided. Key obstacles include demands from Sunetra Pawar’s son Parth for the state finance portfolio and the national presidency, opposed by senior figures seeking broader power-sharing. The NCP’s inclusion in the NDA would move the government closer to the two-thirds majority required for constitutional changes. After recent defections, the NDA holds 319 Lok Sabha seats. Adding NCP support would raise the tally to 327, still short of the 360 needed with current vacancies.
