'Incorrect And Based On Speculation': Supriya Sule Denies Reports On NCP (SP)'s Delimitation Stand

Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) MP Supriya Sule on Wednesday dismissed media reports claiming that her party had decided to support the proposed constituency delimitation exercise, calling such reports "incorrect" and "solely based on speculation."

In a statement, Sule clarified that neither she nor the party had held any official discussions with the media regarding its stand on the issue. She stressed that the NCP (SP)'s position on important legislative matters is decided only after detailed internal consultations and discussions with its allies in the INDIA bloc.

"The recent news reports regarding the Nationalist Congress Party-Sharadchandra Pawar faction's stance on constituency delimitation are incorrect and based solely on speculation. Neither I nor our party has held any official discussions with any media on this subject," she said.

Party Yet to Take an Official Position

Sule asserted that reports claiming the party had adopted a firm position on the proposed legislation were entirely unfounded.

She said it would be premature to comment on the issue until the Centre officially introduces the revised Delimitation Bill in Parliament. Since no such legislation has been tabled so far, she added, any debate over its contents or the party's position lacks basis.

"Our party's position is determined only after detailed internal deliberations within the party and with our ally parties in the INDIA front. Therefore, the news claiming that our party has taken a firm stance on this has no basis whatsoever," Sule said.

Reports Had Suggested NCP (SP) Would Back the Bill

Sule's clarification comes in response to media reports that claimed the Sharad Pawar-led NCP (SP) was likely to support the proposed Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill during the upcoming Monsoon Session of Parliament.

According to earlier reports citing sources, the party was expected to back the legislation, which proposes increasing the strength of the Lok Sabha to 850 seats and paving the way for the next nationwide delimitation exercise, despite not being part of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA).

Earlier Remarks Had Left Room for Discussions

Earlier in the day, Sule had indicated that the party could consider supporting the proposed legislation under specific conditions.

She said the NCP (SP) would be open to discussions if the Bill explicitly guarantees a 50 per cent increase in the number of Lok Sabha and state Assembly seats across all states. However, her latest statement makes it clear that the party has not yet adopted any official position and that reports suggesting otherwise are speculative.