Sharad Pawar meets PM Modi, timing fuels buzz of delimit bill talk

NEW DELHI: A day after reaching Jantar Mantar to express solidarity with CJP protesters, NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar and his daughter Supriya Sule met PM Narendra Modi on Wednesday.NCP (SP) sources said the meeting focused on Maharashtra's agrarian crisis, with Pawar raising demands including a legal guarantee for minimum support price (MSP), while Sule invited Modi to her daughter's wedding reception in Delhi.The timing of the meeting drew attention as Pawar's NCP (SP), which has eight Lok Sabha MPs, is seen to be warming up to BJP's outreach to key opposition parties to bolster support for the Constitution amendment bill on women's reservation and the delimitation bill.Pictures shared by the Prime Minister's Office showed Modi warmly leading Pawar by the hand into his office.The two bills, which seek to implement women's reservation in legislatures from 2029, were defeated in the last session. However, BJP's support base has since expanded following the merger of six Shiv Sena (UBT) MPs with the Eknath Shinde-led faction and the split in the Trinamool Congress, with 20 MPs declaring support for the NDA. If the eight MPs of NCP (Sharad Pawar) also back the bills, BJP would come within striking distance of the two-thirds majority required for their passage.NCP (SP) state chief Shashikant Shinde denied any political motive, saying Pawar had only conveyed the concerns of the protesting students and urged the Centre to hold talks with them. "Our stand on the delimitation bill is already clear," he said.However, many remained unconvinced, given Pawar's reputation for keeping his cards close to his chest.Get the latest India News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.