Mahayuti alliance closed to new parties, says CM Fadnavis amid NCP (SP) split rumours
Synopsis
Days after 'Operation Tiger' pulled six Uddhav Thackeray MPs into Eknath Shinde's camp, Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis has shut the door on any fresh Mahayuti expansion — specifically denying a rumoured NCP (SP) split. The denial was delivered not from Mantralaya, but from New Delhi, after a water-rights meeting chaired by Amit Shah, adding an unusual backdrop to a pointed political statement.
Key Takeaways
CM Devendra Fadnavis on 7 July ruled out any new party joining the Mahayuti alliance or NDA at the Centre.
Rumours centred on a possible split in NCP (SP) , fuelled by an alleged meeting between BJP MP Vinod Tawde and NCP (SP) leader Jayant Patil .
The clarification followed 'Operation Tiger' , in which six MPs from Uddhav Thackeray 's Shiv Sena defected to Eknath Shinde 's faction.
NCP (SP) MLA Rohit Pawar and MP Supriya Sule both denied any split talks, calling the reports baseless.
The high-level meeting in New Delhi , chaired by Amit Shah , cleared Maharashtra 's access to 10 TMC of Narmada River water.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Tuesday, 7 July firmly ruled out any expansion of the ruling Mahayuti coalition, stating that no new party would be joining either the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) at the Centre or the Mahayuti alliance in Maharashtra. The clarification came amid swirling speculation that the Nationalist Congress Party (Sharad Pawar faction), known as NCP (SP), could be on the verge of a split similar to the one that recently rocked the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena.
What Fadnavis Said
Fadnavis addressed reporters on the sidelines of a high-level meeting in New Delhi, chaired by Union Home Minister Amit Shah, focused on projects in the Narmada River basin. The meeting cleared the way for Maharashtra to receive 10 TMC of water — a significant win for the state government.
Speaking after the meeting, Fadnavis was categorical: the government has no intention of engineering a party split for electoral gain, and the existing Mahayuti partners — the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Eknath Shinde's Shiv Sena, and Ajit Pawar's NCP — will contest future elections together. 'There is no attempt on our part to split MLAs or MPs from Sharad Pawar's party,' he said.
What Triggered the Rumours
The speculation gained momentum in the wake of 'Operation Tiger', which saw six MPs from the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena defect to Eknath Shinde's faction. Reports subsequently emerged suggesting a comparable fracture could occur within Sharad Pawar's NCP (SP), further stoked by an alleged meeting between BJP MP Vinod Tawde and NCP (SP) leader Jayant Patil.
This is not the first time Maharashtra's fractious coalition politics has generated such speculation. The state has witnessed multiple high-profile defections since 2022, making every cross-party interaction subject to intense scrutiny.
NCP (SP) Leaders Push Back
NCP (SP) MLA Rohit Pawar flatly rejected the reports, saying no such discussions are taking place within the party and that the claims are 'merely rumours.' He added that the party has been opposing the BJP's ideology for 60 years and has consistently fought for farmers' issues.
NCP (SP) MP Supriya Sule also distanced herself from the controversy, saying she was unaware of any exclusive political meeting between Patil and Tawde. She noted that the two leaders meet regularly for public and government committee work, and that such meetings — often attended by the BJP National President and other senior leaders — should not be given a political colour.
What This Means for Maharashtra Politics
Fadnavis's denial, while firm, arrives at a politically charged moment. The Mahayuti government is navigating post-election consolidation while the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) watches for any sign of fracture. Any credible split within NCP (SP) would significantly redraw the opposition's arithmetic ahead of the next round of elections.
With both the ruling alliance and the NCP (SP) leadership denying any movement, the episode appears, for now, to be political noise — though in Maharashtra, such noise has a history of preceding seismic shifts.
Point of View
No less — signals how quickly the post-'Operation Tiger' atmosphere has rattled Maharashtra's opposition. The more telling detail is Supriya Sule's response: she did not deny the Tawde-Patil meeting, only its political character. In Maharashtra's coalition history, that kind of careful parsing often precedes the very thing being denied. The BJP's track record of engineering splits — Shiv Sena in 2022, NCP in 2023 — means its denials carry a credibility deficit that a single press statement cannot fully erase.
NationPress
8 Jul 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What did CM Devendra Fadnavis clarify about the Mahayuti alliance?
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis stated on 7 July that no new party will be joining the Mahayuti alliance in Maharashtra or the NDA at the Centre. He also said the government has no intention of splitting any party for electoral expansion.
Why did NCP (SP) split rumours surface?
The rumours emerged after 'Operation Tiger' saw six Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena MPs defect to Eknath Shinde's faction, raising fears of a similar split in NCP (SP). Reports of a meeting between BJP MP Vinod Tawde and NCP (SP) leader Jayant Patil added fuel to the speculation.
How did NCP (SP) leaders respond to the split rumours?
NCP (SP) MLA Rohit Pawar called the reports 'merely rumours,' saying no such discussions are happening within the party. MP Supriya Sule said meetings between Tawde and Patil are routine, held for public and government committee work, and should not be given a political colour.
What was the New Delhi meeting about, and what did it achieve?
The high-level meeting in New Delhi was chaired by Union Home Minister Amit Shah and focused on projects in the Narmada River basin. It cleared the way for Maharashtra to receive 10 TMC of water — a significant outcome for the state.
What is 'Operation Tiger' and why is it relevant?
'Operation Tiger' refers to the recent defection of six MPs from Uddhav Thackeray's Shiv Sena to Eknath Shinde's faction. It set the political context for fears that a similar engineered split could be attempted within NCP (SP), making Fadnavis's denial politically significant.
