MUMBAI, Aug 23 (Reuters) - Vodafone Group Plc's Indian arm is in exploratory talks around a possible merger withits smaller domestic rival Idea Cellular, according toa CNBC TV18 report on Tuesday, citing unnamed sources.
A spokesman for Vodafone India, India's No. 2 mobile carrierby market share, declined to comment on the report. Aspokeswoman for Idea also declined to comment on the matter.
Shares in Idea, the country's No. 3 operator, rose 5.7percent in afternoon trading following the news.
(Writing by Devidutta Tripathy)