NEW DELHI, July 15 -- The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), led by Sharad Pawar, is reportedly likely to support the government's Delimitation Bill during the upcoming monsoon session of Parliament, breaking ranks with the Opposition alliance that previously united to defeat similar legislation.
The strategic move comes as the NDA plans to reintroduce the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill and related legislation when Parliament convenes on July 20.
The Sharad Pawar faction, which has eight Lok Sabha seats, intends to extend issue-based support to the government without formally joining the National Democratic Alliance.
The delimitation Bill proposes to increase Lok Sabha seats to 850 and use the 2011 census as the basis for redrawing constituency boundaries, a proposal that previously faced fierce opposition from INDI Alliance parties who argued it would disproportionately benefit northern states at the expense of southern regions.
During an April 2026 special parliamentary session, the INDIA grouping voted unianimously against the legislation, successfully blocking its passage in what marked the first defeat for the Modi government's constitutional amendments in 12 years.
If Sharad Pawar's move is confirmed, it would mark a break from the Opposition's united stand after parties voted together against the Bill during the last Parliament session. The latest development has renewed speculation of the NCP reuniting and lending support to the NDA at the Centre in some form.
Meanwhile, addressing a press conference on Wednesday, NCP (Sharad Pawar) MP Supriya Sule refused to confirm the speculation but indicated that the faction's stand on the Bill would depend on its final shape and form.
"If the government provides for a 50 per cent increase in seats across all states and clearly outlines its implementation, we will support it," Sule told reporters.
The condition echoes the party's earlier position and aligns with an assurance given by Union Home Minister Amit Shah in April, when he said the government was willing to amend the Bill to provide for a uniform 50 per cent increase in Lok Sabha seats across all states and ensure that no state was disadvantaged by the delimitation exercise.
"If the reason to oppose this Bill is that there should be a 50 per cent increase, then halt the proceedings for an hour, and I will bring an official amendment to this Bill," Shah had said during the debate in the Lok Sabha.
"After a 50% increase, their seats will rise to 195, which will be 23.87% of 816 seats. No one will be at a loss," Shah had argued, however, the proposed amendment was never incorporated into the final text.
The Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, 2026, introduced to increase the strength of the Lok Sabha to 850 seats and operationalise women's reservation, failed to secure the required two-thirds majority in the Lok Sabha on April 17.
In a post on X, senior Congress leader P. Chidambaram urged the two regional parties not to support the legislation, arguing that delimitation under the existing formula would unfairly disadvantage states that had successfully controlled population growth in line with the National Population Policy.
The government is expected to introduce the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill during the Monsoon Session of Parliament beginning July 20.
Separate meetings between senior leaders of two NCP factions with Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis at his residence here renewed speculation about political realignments and a merger, weeks after six MPs of Shiv Sena (UBT) switched to ruling Shiv Sena.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.