The Supreme Court on February 19 issued notice in Sharad Pawar's plea challenging an Election Commission (EC) order recognising the Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar-led faction as the real Nationalist Congress Party (NCP).
The court further directed that Sharad Pawar's faction can continue using the name 'Nationalist Congress Party - Sharadchandra Pawar' till further order. Furthermore, the court permitted Sharad Pawar faction to move the EC for allocation of a symbol for them. The EC has been directed to consider such an application in a week's time.
Earlier in February, the EC awarded the 'analog clock' poll symbol of the NCP to the Ajit Pawar faction noting that more than two-third of the party's legislators are on his side. Over 40 out of NCP's 53 MLAs sided with the younger Pawar, after he decided to join the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena-BJP government in Maharashtra in July last year.
On February 7, EC allotted 'Nationalist Congress Party - Sharadchandra Pawar' to Sharad Pawar faction for the upcoming Rajya Sabha polls. The EC said that the former Union minister had suggested three names for his faction, with the first preference being 'Nationalist Congress Party - Sharadchandra Pawar', second 'Nationalist Congress Party - Sharadrao Pawar' and third 'NCP Sharad Pawar'.
The competent authority has "acceded to your first preference i.e. Nationalist Congress Party - Sharadchandra Pawar as the name for your group/faction as a one-time option for the purpose of the forthcoming election to six seats in the Rajya Sabha from Maharashtra", the EC said. The voting for the Upper House seats will be held on February 27.
On February 15, Maharashtra assembly speaker Rahul Narwekar held that the NCP faction led by Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar was the real Nationalist Congress Party, and the anti-defection provisions in the Constitution can not be used to stifle internal dissent.
While dismissing disqualification petitions filed by the factions led by Ajit Pawar and his uncle Sharad Pawar against each other’s legislators, the Speaker noted that the Ajit group had an “overwhelming legislative majority” of 41 out of 53 party MLAs when it decided to join the Shiv Sena-BJP government in Maharashtra in July 2023.
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