The Election Commission of India has officially recognized Ajit Pawar's faction as the official NCP, granting them the party's name and symbol. Despite the split within the NCP, Ajit Pawar's party had been using Sharad Pawar's name and photo, even though Sharad Pawar himself had warned against it. In response, the Sharad Pawar-led NCP faction filed a petition in the Supreme Court, prompting the court to reprimand Ajit Pawar's group.
Sharad Pawar's lawyer argued that using Sharad Pawar's photo and the party's clock icon is deceiving voters. However, leaders from Ajit Pawar's party defended the use of these images for campaigning, particularly in rural areas.
"In a democracy, fair elections are essential, and using someone else's photo to garner votes undermines this principle. If Ajit Pawar's faction is confident in their abilities, they should seek votes based on their own merits, without relying on Sharad Pawar's image." The lawyers representing Sharad Pawar's group questioned why Ajit Pawar's faction is seeking votes using Sharad Pawar's photo, urging them to stand on their own strengths and use their own images if they truly believe in themselves.
So the lawyers of Ajit Pawar group said that the photos are not being used by us, the judge said who is responsible for this? Asking this question, give an undertaking that Sharad Pawar's photo and name will not be used directly or indirectly by your party, now you both have a separate existence. You reach the voters with your photo. The judge said that you should have control over your workers.
Use another symbol instead of a clock.
The court asked the Ajit Pawar group to file an undertaking that they will not use Sharad Pawar's name directly or indirectly. The court also opined that the Ajit Pawar group should use a symbol other than the 'Clock' symbol for the election, so that there is no confusion. The court has postponed the hearing in this regard till next Tuesday.