New Delhi: Ahead of the monsoon session, as the Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance government is looking to shore up numbers to reintroduce its delimitation bill, speculation is now rife over whether the NCP(SP) will support the government, even as its working president and Lok Sabha MP Supriya Sule on Wednesday (July 15) said that no such discussion has taken place, and once the bill is brought it will be discussed with the INDIA alliance members.“Recent reports appearing in sections of the media regarding the stand of the Nationalist Congress Party Sharadchandra Pawar [NCP(SP)] on the issue of delimitation are inaccurate and speculative,” she said on X. “I wish to clarify that neither I nor the party has had any official discussion with any media organisation on this subject. As with every issue of constitutional importance, our party’s position is determined only after detailed consultations within the party and with our allies – India alliance. Therefore, any reports attributing a definitive stand to us are without basis.”Sule said that the government is yet to place any proposal before it, any speculation would be “premature”.“It would be inappropriate to comment on any proposal until the Government formally places the revised delimitation legislation before Parliament. Since no such Bill has yet been made available, any speculation regarding its contents or our position would be premature.”Earlier while addressing a press conference, Sule had also said that any bill that comes will be discussed with the INDIA alliance members and said that several parties including the DMK, Samajwadi Party and the NCP(SP) had said that they would consider the 50% increase across states.“However, we will discuss any upcoming bill in detail within the INDIA alliance. Earlier parties like the DMK, SP, and ourselves had stated that we would consider the 50% increase across states but that was not made a part of the bill so that failed,” she said.‘He was inviting parties individually’Sule said that the demand for a delimitation bill did not come from the NCP(SP) or the INDIA alliance, and while Union parliamentary affairs minister Kiren Rijiju had invited her, Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Arvind Sawant and AIMIM MP Asaduddin Owaisi, with a proposal, the INDIA alliance had decided to write to the government unitedly that a discussion should be held with all opposition parties together.“Our only demand is that 33% women’s reservation that was promised, should be fulfilled. During the previous Budget Session, Kiren Rijiju had invited Asaduddin Owaisi, me, and Arvind Sawant. He was inviting parties individually, and we met with the Home Minister Amit Shah and Kiren Rijiju and they gave us a proposal which was later discussed at the INDIA alliance meeting,” she said. “Under Mallikarjun Kharge’s leadership, we wrote to Amit Shah requesting that they invite us all together for a discussion instead of calling us separately.”Sule’s statement comes as the BJP is looking to shore up its numbers to reintroduce the delimitation bill after its Lok Sabha expansion linked women’s reservation plan failed to get the two-thirds majority in parliament in April due to a united opposition voting against it. Since then the TMC- the third largest opposition party in the Lok Sabha- has split, with 20 out of its 28 MPs merging with the little known regional party Nationalist Citizens Party of India (NCPI). The Shiv Sena (UBT) has also split with six of its nine Lok Sabha MPs joining the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena. Sule’s statement on Wednesday came after NCP (SP) state president Jayant Patil met Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Tuesday, just hours after he met Sharad Pawar. NCP’s Sunil Tatkare and Praful Patel also met Fadnavis separately fuelling speculation over possible political realignments.Party insiders said to The Wire that a realignment could imply easier access to government funds for development in their constituencies. The Wire has also learnt that there is a willingness to support the delimitation bill within the party.However, Sule at her press conference ruled out any split within the NCP(SP) and said that all 8 MPs are together.“I don’t have so much spare time to indulge in gossip. I don’t believe in sources, I believe in reality. Let me reassure you that all 8 MPs of NCP(SP) and all our MLAs, we stick together. Whatever decisions we will be taking, please understand NCP(SP) is a party where Sharad Pawar not only leads it, he invests in everybody and he listens. His biggest strength as a leader is that he is an amazing listener,” she said.