Sharad Pawar-led NCP faction to challenge EC’s decision in SC

The Sharad Pawar-led group of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) on Wednesday announced its intention to approach the Supreme Court against the Election Commission’s order recognising the rival Ajit Pawar faction as the “real” party and allotting it the “clock” election symbol.

Clyde Crasto, spokesperson for the group known as ‘Nationalist Congress Party-Sharadchandra Pawar’ according to the EC, stated that the commission’s ruling contradicts a Supreme Court directive that prioritises the political party over its legislative wing in case of disputes.

“We will obviously go to the Supreme Court. There is a Supreme Court directive which says that the legislative party cannot be chosen over the political party. So if the decision has gone against the Supreme Court’s verdict then we will approach the Supreme Court because we have faith in it,” Crasto said.

On Tuesday, the EC gave the Nationalist Congress Party name and the “clock” election symbol to the group led by Ajit Pawar, who had walked away with a majority of NCP MLAs in the Maharashtra assembly in July last year and joined the Shiv Sena-BJP government. The Ajit Pawar faction is the ‘real’ Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), the EC had said in its ruling that came as a major setback to party founder Sharad Pawar.

Ajit Pawar is now a deputy chief minister.

Meanwhile, on Wednesday, the Election Commission assigned ‘Nationalist Congress Party-Sharadchandra Pawar’ as the party name for Sharad Pawar’s group. The faction proposed several names to the Commission, including Nationalist Congress Party-Sharadrao Pawar and Nationalist Congress Party-Sharad Pawar, along with the request for the ‘banyan tree’ symbol.

In response to Sharad Pawar’s faction, the Commission granted their first preference, ‘Nationalist Congress Party — Sharadchandra Pawar’, for the upcoming election to six seats in the Rajya Sabha in Maharashtra.

Earlier on Wednesday, Ajit Pawar’s faction filed a caveat in the Supreme Court, anticipating a challenge from Sharad Pawar’s group against the Election Commission’s order. The caveat aims to ensure a fair hearing if the opposing group moves the apex court, preventing any one-sided decision against Ajit Pawar’s faction.