India, July 18 -- Speculation about the merger of the Nationalist Congress Party and the Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) mounted on Friday as people aware of details said the Bharatiya Janata Party was keen on shoring up the strength of the National Democratic Alliance and was in favour of the merger of the two outfits.

Currently, the NCP is part of the NDA and the NCP (SP) is part of the Opposition's INDIA bloc. To be sure, NCP chief Sunetra Pawar and her elder son, Rajya Sabha MP Parth Pawar, are not in favour of a merger, said a close aide of Sunetra Pawar, even as some NCP leaders are looking to garner support from a majority of party legislators in favour of the move.

"Both the NCP president and her son are firmly ...