Fresh political speculation has surfaced in Maharashtra following reports of a meeting between senior BJP leader Vinod Tawde and former Maharashtra NCP president Jayant Patil, with discussions centred around the possibility of the Sharad Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (NCP-SP) joining the ruling Mahayuti alliance.
According to sources, Tawde and Patil discussed what the Sharad Pawar-led NCP could expect if it were to become part of the Mahayuti government. It is also learnt that after the meeting with Tawde, Patil held discussions with a senior leader from his own party regarding the matter.
As per sources, the talks also covered the possible role of the Sharad Pawar-led NCP in the government if the party decided to join the ruling alliance.
MLA Jayant Patil denied that any formal political negotiations had taken place during the meeting.
Reacting to the reports, NCP-SP MP Supriya Sule said she was unaware of the meeting between Patil and Tawde. She added that interactions between leaders from different political parties are common, especially through parliamentary committees.
"I have met Vinodji several times over the past month. We are members of the same committee, where several BJP leaders, including the party president, are also present. Such meetings are routine," Sule said, declining to comment further on the speculation.
Meanwhile, NCP-SP MLA Rohit Pawar dismissed reports of the party considering an alliance with the Mahayuti, calling them baseless.
"There is no such discussion taking place in our party. These are merely rumours and there is no truth to them," Pawar said.
He said that the party has consistently opposed the BJP and remains committed to raising public issues, particularly those concerning farmers.
"We have fought against the BJP for decades. When we protested for farmers, the government did not engage with us. A meeting with ministers has been scheduled tomorrow along with our MLAs," he said.
The development comes in the wake of "Operation Tiger," under which six MPs from Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) reportedly crossed over to Chief Minister Eknath Shinde's Shiv Sena, triggering a major political churn in the state. Following the defections, Uddhav Thackeray held public rallies in the constituencies of the rebel MPs, launching a sharp attack on them.
