By Rahil Nora Chopra
Politics in Maharashtra is buzzing with intense speculation as the Congress and Sharad Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party are holding discussions over a possible merger. The move, if it materialises, could trigger a major political realignment in the state. Once a broad agreement is attained at the state level, the final decision is expected to come from the top leadership of both parties in Delhi. The MVA alliance, comprising the Congress, NCP (SP) and Shiv Sena (UBT), has suffered setbacks in recent months, including a rebellion within Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena after six MPs switched over to the ruling Eknath Shinde-led camp. According to sources, the 86-year-old Sharad Pawar is willing to merge the NCP (SP) with the Congress if his daughter, Lok Sabha MP Supriya Sule, and his loyalists, are given a bigger role. However, a major faction within the NCP (SP) favours joining the ruling establishment and wants to be part of the NDA at the Centre and the Mahayuti alliance in Maharashtra.
PUNJAB CONGRESS RETAINS RAJA WARRING AS STATE PRESIDENT
Ahead of the 2027 Punjab Assembly elections, the Congress high command’s decision to continue Amarinder Singh Raja Warring as Punjab Congress president, besides accommodating senior leaders Charanjit Singh Channi and Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa in prominent election committees, was intended to project unity. However, Chandigarh MP Manish Tewari’s public expression of disappointment after being excluded from the newly constituted committees has further led to the perception that all is not well inside the Punjab Congress. The Chandigarh MP, however, asserted that the Congress has given him enough over the past 45 years and he has also devoted his entire adult life in the service of the party. Congress sources indicate that several influential leaders had expressed consent for a change in the state presidency. The decision to retain Raja Warring is believed to have disappointed sections of the party that were backing Channi or Randhawa. If this dissatisfaction deepens during ticket distribution or campaign planning, the Congress leadership could once again find itself spending volume of time tackling internal disputes than confronting its political opponents.
CONGRESS, SP LIKELY TO KEEP ALLIANCE INTACT FOR 2027 UP POLLS
Ahead of the assembly elections 2027 in Uttar Pradesh, the newly-appointed UP Congress in-charge Rajendra Pal Gautam communicated a strong message to its ally Samajwadi Party, stating that the Congress would demand an equal number of seats to contest and respect in the alliance. With the SP and Congress alliance winning 43 seats gaining 33.84 per cent and 9.53 per cent of the votes respectively in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, on a campaign designed to abide by the Constitution, both the parties want to extend the ties to the Assembly elections. However, Akhilesh Yadav has a stiff challenge of reaching a consensus on seat-sharing with the Congress and agreeing on a common minimum programme. The SP had won 111 seats and the Congress 2 in the 2022 Assembly elections. As for seat-sharing, the final decision will be made through direct discussions between Akhilesh Yadav and Rahul Gandhi. While there will undoubtedly be some bargaining over the number of seats, leaders from both parties remain optimistic that a mutually acceptable solution will be found.
MADHYA PRADESH CONGRESS: DIGVIJAY, PATWARI NOT ON SAME PAGE?
The factional divide within the Madhya Pradesh Congress has once again surfaced in public, as evident in the public airing of differences between senior leader Digvijaya Singh and Madhya Pradesh Congress president Jitu Patwari. The controversy erupted after Jitu Patwari alleged that the Madhya Pradesh government had transferred land worth nearly Rs 500 crore in Ujjain to the Veer Bharat Nyas for a token amount of Re 1. Seeking to verify the claims, Digvijaya Singh visited Ujjain and publicly stated that there was nothing irregular in the transfer as the land had been allotted to a government trust. While defending the transaction, he remarked that “broker-like people” often level allegations for money, though he did not name anyone. While Singh later clarified that he had not used the word for Jitu Patwari or any Congress leader, the damage had already been done. His statement was widely seen in political circles as a rebuttal of Patwari’s line and gave the BJP an opportunity to target the Congress over alleged factionalism.
TMC CONTINUES TO FRACTURE AS ECI WRITES TO RITABRATA, MAMATA
The fight for the real Trinamool Congress (TMC) escalated with rebels led by Ritabrata Banerjee knocking on the doors of the Election Commission seeking control of the original party, even as the Mamata Banerjee faction questioned the poll body for an unauthorised meeting with a bunch of breakaway MLAs. The rebel faction staked its claim to the party’s official name and twin-flower election symbol, asserting that it represents the real party, with the backing of a majority of the elected representatives. The Mamata Banerjee-led faction, however, strongly condemned the ECI granting an audience to the dissidents, arguing that they were neither authorised representatives nor signatories of the recognised political party. Meanwhile, ECI too has now waded into the muddy waters of the ongoing leadership dispute within the All India Trinamool Congress, writing to both Mamata Banerjee and Ritabrata Banerjee over competing claims regarding the party’s organisational structure and authorised signatories. The poll body has demanded both sides to submit their responses latest by 5:30 PM on July 6, 2026. (IPA Service)
