Pune: Neerja Chaudhary, Associate Editor and columnist for 'The Indian Express,' during a lecture on Saturday (June 30), dismissed the possibility of Sharad Pawar's Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) merging with Congress despite Pawar's earlier statement suggesting regional parties might merge with Congress post-election. Chaudhary asserted that under Sharad Pawar's leadership, the NCP is not expected to integrate into Congress.

The Pune Union of Working Journalists (PUWJ) and Friends of Venkatesh organized the lecture in memory of journalist Venkatesh Chapalgaonkar. The event, titled "Today's Political Journalism and Elections," featured Chaudhary in discussion with the attendees. including PUWJ President Pandurang Sandbhor and General Secretary Sukrut Mokashi.

Chaudhary remarked, "In the recent Lok Sabha Elections, voters have effectively curbed the unchecked power held by the BJP over the past decade. Despite forming a coalition government with several parties, the BJP has successfully retained control over key ministries."

"The BJP's rhetoric shifted immediately following the Lok Sabha elections. Statements from BJP leaders like 'We will successfully run a coalition government' and 'The country runs on consensus despite majority rule' began to surface.

Leading the government involves making compromises with coalition partners, yet the BJP managed to keep significant portfolios for itself and succeeded in doing so."

Chaudhary also noted, "The Dalit community took the BJP's potential plan to abolish reservations if they won 400 seats very seriously. As a result, BJP's seat count in Uttar Pradesh dropped. Had they won those seats, they would have neared a majority.

However, this trend did not replicate in states like Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Delhi, and Bihar. It was surprising even to Sonia Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi would be recognized as the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha. Language barriers could pose a challenge for Rahul Gandhi in parliamentary debates."