A delegation of eight Lok Sabha MPs from the Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) met Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday as Parliament entered the final week of the Monsoon Session. The meeting comes at a politically significant moment, with the Centre looking to build support for key legislative proposals, including the Delimitation Bill.
The meeting, which lasted around 30 minutes, was described by the party as a courtesy call. However, its timing has drawn attention, particularly because the NCP (SP) has previously indicated that it could consider supporting changes linked to delimitation under certain conditions.
The delegation included Suresh Mhatre, Bhaskar Bhagare, Amar Sharadrao Kale, Amol Kolhe, Nilesh Dnyandev Lanke, Bajrang Manohar Sonwane, Dhairyasheel Mohite Patil and Supriya Sule. According to the party, the MPs discussed issues concerning Maharashtra during their interaction with the Prime Minister.
NCP (SP) Stand On Delimitation
The meeting assumes importance after Supriya Sule had earlier indicated that her party could examine the Delimitation Bill once its final provisions were made public.
The NCP (SP) has particularly focused on the proposal for a uniform increase in Lok Sabha seats across states. Sule had said the party could consider backing the legislation if the number of parliamentary seats was increased by 50 per cent across states.
She had also rejected speculation that the Sharad Pawar-led party was considering joining the BJP-led NDA.
Congress Had Urged NCP (SP) To Raise Opposition Stand
Before Monday’s meeting, Congress had asked its INDIA bloc ally to communicate the opposition alliance’s position on delimitation and women’s reservation.
Congress leader Sachin Sawant had said the NCP (SP) MPs should make it clear to the Prime Minister that the Women’s Reservation Act, passed in 2023, should be implemented without tying it to the delimitation exercise.
The issue has become a major political flashpoint as parties debate how any future increase in Lok Sabha seats could affect the representation of different states.
Parliament Session Enters Final Phase
The Monsoon Session of Parliament began on July 20 and is scheduled to conclude on August 13. With only a few days remaining, the government’s efforts to secure support for important Bills have added significance to meetings between ruling-party leaders and opposition MPs.
The NCP (SP) delegation’s interaction with PM Modi is therefore likely to fuel further political discussion over the party’s position on delimitation, women’s reservation and other pending legislative matters.
