NCP-SP Sets Clear Terms – A Uniform 50% Seat Hike or No Backing for Delimitation Bill

Supriya Sule draws a firm line her party will only consider supporting the Delimitation Bill if every state gets a 50% increase in Lok Sabha seats. She dismisses merger rumours, denies any backdoor deal, and insists the INDIA bloc’s real demand has always been women’s reservation not delimitation.

NCP-SP Puts a Condition on the Table

NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar) MP Supriya Sule made her party’s position clear on Wednesday. She said NCP-SP would consider supporting the Delimitation Bill but only on one condition. Every state must receive a 50% increase in Lok Sabha seats no exceptions.

Addressing the media in Mumbai, Sule said all reports about her party’s stance were based on unnamed sources. “We cannot say anything until the new bill is introduced. We have passed the Women’s Reservation Bill with a full majority,” she stated.

The 50% Formula: What It Means for Maharashtra

Sule explained that the 50% seat hike formula had been proposed by Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju during an all-party meeting. Under this formula, Maharashtra’s Lok Sabha seats would rise from 48 to 72 a significant jump.

However, she cautioned heavily against a population-based delimitation approach. Such a method, she warned, would cause deep injustice to southern states those that have done better on population control. She made it clear her party’s conditional support hinges entirely on uniform application across all states.

No Official Stand Until the Draft Is Public

Despite media buzz, Sule stressed that NCP-SP would not rush into any position. The party would only take an official stand within 24 hours of the bill’s draft being formally tabled before Parliament.

“We have received no deal or proposal regarding the Delimitation Bill. If and when a draft is officially presented, we will analyse it and announce our position within 24 hours,” she said.

She also confirmed that any such bill would first go through detailed internal discussion within the INDIA alliance not unilaterally decided by NCP-SP.

INDIA Bloc Wants Women’s Quota,Not Delimitation

Sule took pains to separate two issues that have been deliberately conflated in media coverage. The INDIA alliance, she insisted, has never demanded delimitation. Its consistent demand has been the immediate implementation of 33% women’s reservation in Parliament within the existing 543-seat Lok Sabha, without waiting for a redrawn map.

“Earlier, parties like the DMK, SP, and ourselves had stated that we would consider the 50% quota issue. The INDIA alliance never demand the delimitation; we demand that 33% reservation for women should be implemented,” she said.

She also flagged a procedural concern the government had been holding separate meetings with opposition parties individually rather than bringing them all to the table at once. Under Mallikarjun Kharge’s leadership, the INDIA bloc had written formally to Amit Shah demanding collective consultation. “During the previous Budget Session, Kiren Rijiju had invited Asaduddin Owaisi, me, and Arvind Sawant. He was inviting parties individually, and we met with the country’s Home Minister, Amit Shah and Kiren Rijiju. Under Mallikarjun Kharge’s leadership, we wrote to Amit Shah requesting that they invite us all together,” Supriya Sule said.

NCP-SP Is Not Joining NDA

Sule categorically shut down all speculation about her party merging with or joining the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) or the ruling Mahayuti coalition in Maharashtra. The rumours had intensified after NCP-SP leader Jayant Patil visited Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis’s official residence ‘Varsha’ in Mumbai a visit Patil later clarified was related to a disqualification case in his constituency, Islampur.

“We were merged first into the Congress and then into the BJP; now, only the MNS remains. None of our leaders have ever spoken about joining the NDA, and we will not join the NDA,” she said firmly.

She went further underlining the unity within NCP-SP. “All eight MPs of NCP (SP) and all our MLAs stand together. NCP is a party where Sharad Pawar not only leads but also invests in every member and listens to everyone,” she added.

The 131st Amendment : A Bill That Already Failed Once

The backdrop to all this political chatter is significant. The Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill which sought to expand parliamentary seats and accelerate the 33% women’s quota had already failed its Lok Sabha floor test on April 17, 2026. The bill drew 298 votes in favour against 230 opposed well short of the two-thirds majority it required.

The Monsoon Session of Parliament where the bill is expected to return runs from July 20 to August 13, making NCP-SP’s position a matter of real political weight in the days ahead.

Sule closed with a sharp message for the media stop chasing tea-table whispers and pay attention to what leaders say on record. “Whatever I state on-camera is the absolute truth and reality. Rumours about who spoke to whom over a cup of tea hold no weight. The NCP (Sharad Pawar faction) is not joining the NDA,” she asserted.