In a major setback for the Ajit Pawar faction, the Supreme Court today issued a notice on the plea filed by veteran leader Sharad Pawar challenging the Election Commission of India's (ECI) order recognising the rival faction as the "real" Nationalist Congress Party (NCP).
The Court upheld the ECI's February 7 order granting the Ajit Pawar faction the exclusive right to use the "Nationalist Congress Party" name and symbol. However, the Court also allowed the Sharad Pawar faction to continue using the name "Nationalist Congress Party - Sharadchandra Pawar" as per a previous order.
Importantly, the Supreme Court directed the ECI to consider Sharad Pawar's plea for a new symbol within a week of receiving the application and record its decision within the next week.
The veteran leader has taken the matter to the Supreme Court on February 13, contesting an Election Commission directive that acknowledges the faction led by Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar as the genuine Nationalist Congress Party.
On February 6, the Election Commission declared the Ajit Pawar faction as the real NCP, dealing a significant blow to party founder Sharad Pawar. Additionally, the poll panel assigned the NCP symbol 'clock' to Ajit Pawar's group.
The EC clarified that its decision was based on thorough assessments, including scrutiny of the party's constitution, its objectives, and assessments of both organizational and legislative majority.