The buzz has grown over a possible merger of the Congress and the NCP(SP) to strengthen the opposition in a bid to counter the Bharatiya Janata Party-National Democratic Alliance (NDA), which undoubtably continues to dominate political battlefield of India.
Reports have claimed that Congress leaders were given feelers about NCP(SP)'s merger with it, although no formal discussions have taken place as of now. The buzz further intensified after senior Congress leader Nana Patole said there is a growing mindset that favours merger of secular parties such as the NCP(SP) to merge with the grand old party.
"I feel that what is happening in the country's politics now and the country's constitutional order is being eroded. At a time when votes are getting widely divided... to stop that and to save the country and its Constitution, all the parties with secular views should come together. A process of that kind has now begun at the national level," the former Maharashtra Congress president said on Friday.
Patole was backed by Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut, who said parties that were formed after their leaders quit the Congress should consider reunite with the grand old party. According to Raut, Congress is not a "sinking ship" as claimed by many and reuniting everyone is crucial to take on the BJP.
Supriya Sule says no such proposal made
But NCP(SP)'s working president Supriya Sule has said no such proposal has been made by either party. When asked about such reports on Saturday, the Lok Sabha MP said NCP(SP) chief Sharad Pawar and other senior leaders like Jayant Patil and Shashikant Shinde are not aware about such a proposal.
"No one has contacted us or given any proposal to us, and nor have we contacted or given a proposal to anyone," she said.
However, the NDA has advised the NCP(SP) to join the BJP-led bloc, with Union Minister Ramdas Athawale saying the Congress has no strength left. "Instead of going to the Congress, he should come to the NDA. If he has a problem with the BJP, then he should merge with the RPI," Athawale, who heads the Republican Party of India (Athawale faction), said on Saturday.
The undivided NCP was formed in 1999 after senior Pawar, PA Sangma and Tariq Anwar were expelled from the Congress. In 2023, the party was split into two factions after late Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar joined the BJP-led NDA. But lately, speculations are being made about NCP(SP) reunification with the NCP and also about a possible merger with the Congress.
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