Maharashtra's ruling MahaYuti leaders on Friday, 10 July hit back at Congress leader and former Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan over his claim that NCP-SP lawmakers were 'disgruntled', with several alliance leaders going further to suggest that the Sharad Pawar-led party could eventually merge with the National Democratic Alliance (NDA). The sharp exchanges came hours after NCP-SP MP Supriya Sule flatly rejected both Chavan's characterisation and any prospect of alignment with the NDA.

Athawale Dismisses Chavan's Claims, Floats Pawar-NDA Possibility

Union Minister and Republican Party of India (A) chief Ramdas Athawale dismissed Chavan's assertion outright. 'I think that the kind of opinion or information given by Prithviraj Chavan that there is pressure on NCP-SP MPs is not meaningful. I don't think there is any truth in this,' he said. However, Athawale then pointed to the recent defections of several Shiv Sena-UBT MPs to the Eknath Shinde faction and a reported meeting between Sharad Pawar and the Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister, adding: 'Sharad Pawar may join the NDA...he should think of joining the NDA.'

Sanjay Nirupam Turns the Tables on Chavan

Shiv Sena spokesperson Sanjay Nirupam redirected the 'restlessness' charge squarely at Chavan himself. 'I don't know whether Sharad Pawar's MPs are restless, but I do know that Prithviraj Chavan certainly is. Ever since he became the Chief Minister, he weakened the Congress. Today, no one in the party pays much attention to him or acknowledges him, in such a situation there is an obvious restlessness within him,' Nirupam said. He further claimed that Sharad Pawar is 'thinking to either join the Congress or the NDA' — a remark that underscores the fluid political atmosphere in the state.

Other MahaYuti Voices Weigh In

Shiv Sena spokesperson Krishna Hegde acknowledged the possibility without confirming it. 'Maybe Prithviraj Chavan has such information which he disclosed, but we do not have any knowledge of such a report. Instead of keeping an eye on the NCP-SP, Prithviraj Chavan should focus on his own party,' Hegde said. Meanwhile, NCP-SP leader Naseem Siddiqui turned the spotlight on Chavan's own record as Chief Minister, warning that Congress MPs could break away before any NCP-SP defection materialises. 'It shouldn't happen that before the MPs of the NCP's Sharad Pawar faction, the Congress MPs break away,' Siddiqui said, adding that it was Chavan's tenure that 'weakened Congress' and paved the way for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to come to power in Maharashtra.

Background and What It Signals

The row follows a broader pattern of political turbulence in Maharashtra since the Mahayuti alliance — comprising the BJP, the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena, and the Ajit Pawar-led NCP — swept to power. The opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), of which the NCP-SP and Congress are key constituents, has faced repeated defection pressure. Notably, this is not the first time speculation about Sharad Pawar's political direction has surfaced; similar rumours circulated ahead of the 2024 Maharashtra assembly elections. The NCP-SP has consistently denied any such intent.

What Happens Next

With the MVA already navigating internal fault lines, Chavan's remarks — and the MahaYuti's amplification of them — are likely to keep opposition unity under the spotlight. All eyes will be on Sharad Pawar's next public statement, which is expected to either put the merger speculation to rest or add further fuel to an already volatile political debate.