India, July 15 -- Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis met leaders of both factions of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) at his Mumbai residence on Tuesday evening, fuelling speculation about efforts to reunite them with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)'s approval.

NCP leader Praful Patel and Sunil Tatkare attended the meeting even as Nationalist Congress Party - Sharadchandra Pawar (NCP-SP) leader Jayant Patil, who was reported to have been part of it, denied attending. People aware of the matter said the meeting lasted nearly an hour.

The meeting comes amid growing speculation that the Sharad Pawar-led NCP-SP is preparing to join the ruling BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA).

The people cited above said the NCP-SP ...