New Delhi:
The aim of the merger is to prevent the poaching of party MLAs and MPs in the coming days.
Top sources indicated that talks between the two parties have resumed over a possible merger.
A source said the discussions are currently confined to the Maharashtra units of the two parties, as several layers of party functionaries need to be taken into confidence over the merger and their future roles.
The source said the NCP-SP is currently conducting internal consultations to gauge opinion on the proposed merger.
The source added that the Congress and the NCP-SP had also held merger discussions after their success in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
The talks were held between top leaders of both parties in 2024 after the Lok Sabha election results. However, ahead of the Maharashtra Assembly elections, the talks did not progress for various reasons.
Subsequently, with the Assembly elections approaching in the state, no further discussions on the issue took place between the two parties.
As part of the Maha Vikas Aghadi, the NCP-SP had contested 10 seats in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls and won eight, while the Congress won 13 seats and the Shiv Sena (UBT) won nine.
Of the 48 parliamentary seats, the Maha Vikas Aghadi won 30, while 17 were won by the Mahayuti, comprising the BJP, the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena and the NCP-Ajit Pawar faction. One seat was won by an Independent candidate.
However, despite its strong performance in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, the MVA was unable to replicate the result in the Assembly elections, where it was decimated by the Mahayuti in the 288-member House.
The Congress won 16 of the 101 seats it contested, the Shiv Sena (UBT) won 20 of 95 seats, and the NCP-SP won only 10 of the 86 seats it contested.