Supriya Sule Outlines NCP-SP Stance on Delimitation Bill, Rules Out Joining NDA
On Wednesday, July 15, 2026, Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) leader Supriya Sule clarified her party's conditional stance on the proposed Delimitation Bill and firmly refuted speculations that her party would join the National Democratic Alliance (NDA). Speaking on the political developments impacting Maharashtra, Sule emphasized that any delimitation process must be fair and just, particularly to address the concerns of southern states.
Sule stated that the NCP (SP) has not yet taken an official position on the Bill. However, she committed that the party would clarify its stand within 24 hours after the official draft of the Bill is shared. She dismissed recent reports claiming her party already supported the Bill as a "storm in a teacup."
Recalling a past meeting with Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Union Minister Kiren Rijiju, Sule noted that she, Arvind Sawant of Shiv Sena (UBT), and Asaduddin Owaisi of AIMIM were consulted separately. According to Sule, the discussions revolved around a proposed 50 percent increase in the number of Lok Sabha seats in each state, regardless of population size.
"The formula for the implementation of the delimitation Bill should be given in writing," Sule said. She explained that southern states fear a population-based seat increase would be unfair to them. While the Union Home Minister had previously suggested a flat 50 percent increase across all states, Sule pointed out that the Bill introduced in the House lacked any such mention.
If the 50 percent increase formula is applied, Maharashtra's Lok Sabha seat count would rise from 48 to 72. Sule raised questions over how these seats would be distributed, noting that three seats would be earmarked for SC/ST reservations, and some of the remaining 69 would be reserved for women, leaving 48 open-category seats. "How will they be counted? What formula will be used?" she asked.
Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Arvind Sawant echoed Sule's concerns, calling the ruling party's actions "hypocritical." Sawant stated that the 50 percent seat increase discussed with Amit Shah was omitted from what was presented in the House, adding that his party would discuss the matter within the INDIA Bloc before taking a final call.
Beyond the Delimitation Bill, Sule strongly denied rumours that her party is planning to join the NDA. She asserted that all eight MPs and MLAs of the NCP (SP) will remain united. Sule accused the BJP of spreading rumours to demoralize their party cadres, declaring that central agencies cannot pressure them into budging.
