Mumbai: Breaking ranks with aunt Supriya Sule, Rohit Pawar said Monday that the Delimitation Bills are a “dangerous proposition and not good for the country”. In an interview with ThePrint, the Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) MLA from Karjat-Jamkhed also ruled out the possibility of joining hands with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Rohit said enactment of The Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, 2026 would allow redrawing of constituencies in a manner so as to benefit the BJP, which he cannot support.
“Whether it is done (by way of) 50 percent increase in seats uniformly across or more than that or less than that, according to me it is a dangerous proposition and not good for the country,” he told ThePrint.
Rohit’s aunt and NCP (SP) MP from Baramati, Supriya Sule, had last week told the media that her party may consider supporting the legislation if the government were to propose uniform increase of 50 percent in parliamentary seats across states. Her remarks were seen as an indication that the Sharad Pawar-led party may have softened its stance on the legislation, given that it had voted against The Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, 2026.
The proposed constitutional amendment was defeated in the Lok Sabha on 17 April, having failed to secure a two-thirds majority.
Speaking to ThePrint, Rohit Pawar said he had conveyed his opposition to the Delimitation Bills to leaders of his party. “There is democracy in our party and everyone holds their own views…but I also feel that what Supriya Sule said and meant was that the party would support it if it is done constitutionally, which I do not think the BJP will do.”
He cited delimitation in Assam in 2023 as an ‘example’ that such an exercise would benefit only the ruling BJP. According to an analysis by Frontline, the number of Muslim-dominated seats in the state “reduced from around 29–30 to 22–23, while Muslim-influenced seats dropped from 41 to 26” as a result of the exercise.
“The constituencies were redrawn such that it ended up helping the BJP only and I believe the same team is working on it on the national level.” Rohit Pawar said.
Speaking about the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) phenomenon, Rohit said the youth have given courage to opposition leaders who were on the fence regarding their support to the movement. “The youth have shown how to be fearless and they all came together irrespective of caste, creed or religion. They were all Indians and that renewed the energy within the Opposition camp,” he said. Adding, “Many leaders like Rahul Gandhi ji, (Sharad) Pawar saheb, Akhilesh ji have been speaking against the government but this movement has given leaders new hope and the Opposition camp is now going on the offensive.”
Also Read: Two birds with one merger—why BJP wants ‘united NCP’ in NDA fold
‘I definitely would not go with NDA’
During the interview, Rohit also stated in no uncertain terms that he was not in favour of the NCP(SP) joining the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA).
His remarks came against the backdrop of speculation that the NCP(SP) was considering joining hands with the BJP, though Supriya Sule had clarified earlier this month that her party was very much part of the INDIA bloc. The two NCP factions were in talks for a merger prior to Ajit Pawar’s death in a plane crash on 28 January.
Rohit Pawar, who has been vocal about his opposition to the NDA, said he prefers to stay in the Opposition rather than join hands with the BJP. “I am pretty clear that I want to stay in the Opposition and fight for people’s issues. I am 40-years-old and I have another 30 years in politics ahead of me. If all will join the NDA, who will stay in the Opposition?”
Adding, “I have been speaking to a lot of youngsters and students for the past few years. What I have realised is that they want a definite answer, yes or no. There should be no middle ground. So I definitely would not go with NDA.”
Rohit also called out leaders who believe in having a dialogue with the ruling BJP.
“Their intentions might be clean, they could be talking to ruling party leaders for constituency-related work or people’s issues,” he said. “But it creates a lot of confusion amongst the public. If you continuously and constantly meet ruling party members during work hours or after work, this will create confusion and people will stop believing in us.”
Without explicitly commenting on speculations about some leaders from NCP(SP) in favour of joining the NDA, Rohit said that if such an alliance were to happen, neither he nor Supriya Sule would be in favour of it. “If some leaders go to that side, I won’t even say bye to them. We will immediately start working and building our party,” he said.
Rohit Pawar also cited offers of ministerial berths as one of the reasons why many in the Opposition are considering switching to the ruling side. He claimed he was offered a ministerial berth many times in the past but turned it down.
When the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) was in power, Rohit said he had the chance to become a minister because he is part of the Pawar clan, “but I did not”.
“Later, when Ajit dada broke away from the party, he offered me a post and asked me to join him. I refused. Then again after Lok Sabha and before Vidhan Sabha (elections), Ajit dada met me and offered a ministry to me. Again, I refused. So those who are going want to become ministers. I have already rejected that. So my ultimate goal is not to become the minister but to fight for the people. And so I will be aggressive against the BJP and NDA and stay in the Opposition,” he said.
The NCP(SP) MLA acknowledged that this decision puts him at risk since he is also has business interests but said he has already faced the Income Tax (IT) department and Enforcement Directorate (ED) and has nothing to hide.
(Edited by Amrtansh Arora)
Also Read: Delimitation drama: Why Congress remains wary despite Supriya Sule ruling out NCP(SP) switch to NDA