Ajit Pawar moves Election Commission for NCP name, symbol
Ajit Pawar-led NCP faction said ECI has been informed that he was elected NCP chief through a resolution signed by an “overwhelming majority” of NCP members
NEW DELHI: Maharashtra deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar has moved the Election Commission of India (ECI) for the use of the name and symbol of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) following a split in the party founded by Sharad Pawar in 1999, people familiar with the matter said.
“Along with the petition, ECI also received affidavits from 40 Members of Parliament (MPs), Members of Legislative Assembly (MLAs), and Members of Legislative Council (MLCs) on the same day. These documents were officially received by the commission on July 5, 2023,” a person said on condition of anonymity.
ECI has also received a resolution passed by his faction that elects Ajit Pawar as the NCP president.
The person cited above said the commission has also received a caveat from Jayant R Patil, president of Sharad Pawar’s Maharashtra NCP unit. “The commission has also been informed, through a letter dated July 3, 2023, from Jayant R. Patil, that a disqualification proceeding has been initiated against nine members of the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly. The proceeding has been filed before the competent authority,” the person added.
HT on Wednesday reported that the NCP factions have written to ECI apprising the election watchdog of the split in the party.
On Sunday, senior leader Ajit Pawar and eight other NCP lawmakers joined hands with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and took oath as ministers in the Maharashtra government. NCP patriarch Sharad Pawar and Ajit Pawar have since signed off on a string of tit-for-tat disqualifications and appointments.
