The Supreme Court on Wednesday pulled up Ajit Pawar's NCP faction for still relying on Sharad Pawar's name and pictures ahead of the November 20 Maharashtra elections and asked the party to "stand on its own feet".
“Why is the name of Nationalist Congress Party (NCP-SP) supremo Sharad Pawar being repeatedly used in online content put up by Ajit Pawar-led NCP?,” a bench of Justice Surya Kant and Justice Ujjal Bhuyan asked.
It added: "You try to stand up on your own legs, now that you have ideological difference with Sharad Pawar".
The top court was hearing a plea by Sharad Pawar, who heads the NCP (SP) faction, to prevent his nephew Ajit from using the clock symbol, which was the logo of the undivided NCP.
During the hearing, the bench said that voters are wise enough to see through any confusion.
In 2023, Ajit Pawar broke ranks with his uncle Sharad Pawar and joined hands with the ruling BJP-Shiv Sena alliance in the state, causing a vertical split in the party.
Both factions are since contesting over the legacy of the NCP, which was founded by Sharad Pawar. The Election Commission had alloted the NCP's "clock" symbol Ajit Pawar's faction this year.
The court adjourned the matter to November 19.
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