&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "Is NCP (SP) joining NDA in Maharashtra? Two leaders meet Eknath Shinde, fuel merger buzz")
Senior NCP (SP) leaders Jitendra Awhad and Jayant Patil met Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde at his official residence in Mumbai, Maharashtra, on Thursday night (July 16, 2026). The development bolsters speculation that the opposition party was close to aligning with the NDA.
Reports indicated that people aware of the matter said the closed-door meeting between the three leaders lasted for about an hour. Shinde has also postponed his departure to New Delhi for an NDA meeting chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh to meet both leaders in Mumbai.
The meeting took place a day after NCP (SP) national working president Supriya Sule said the party could back a constitutional amendment bill on women's reservation and delimitation if the Centre agreed to its demands. She, however, stressed that the party had not yet taken an official stand on the matter.
Jayant Patil visits Devendra Fadnavis' residence
On Tuesday evening, Jayant Patil visited Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis' residence, where senior leaders of the rival NCP faction, Praful Patel and Sunil Tatkare, were also present. About two weeks earlier, Patil had met BJP national general secretary Vinod Tawde, prompting two senior NCP (SP) leaders to tell HT that the party was weighing its political options.
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“We can’t say the things will work out in a particular way, but we are exploring the option of joining the NDA directly or indirectly,” said one of the two leaders, requesting anonymity.
The two leaders stated that three options could be explored in order to merge the two NCPs: to ally with the NDA separately if Deputy CM and NCP chief Sunetra Pawar does not decide to merge; and to support the NDA on specific issues, without joining the coalition.
