Sharad Pawar's NCP (SP) can accept voluntary donations from public: Election Commission
“Donations can be made by any person or company other than a government company, under the Representation of the People Act, 1951,” the ECI said.
In a major boost for the Sharad Pawar-led faction of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), the Election Commission of India (ECI) on Monday gave it permission to accept donations, keeping in mind the upcoming assembly elections in Maharashtra, likely to be held in October.
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The development came on a day when an eight-member delegation of NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar), led by the veteran politician's daughter and Lok Sabha member from Baramati, Supriya Sule, met officials of the poll panel. The delegation requested the ECI to certify the status of the party so that it can receive voluntary donations from the public.
Sule is also the working president of the NCP (SP).
“The party has been authorised to accept any amount of contribution voluntarily offered to it by any person or company other than a government company, under the relevant sections of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, which govern the contribution to all political parties,” the Election Commission said in a statement.
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“The authorisation to accept donations will be applicable until the final disposition of the petition in the Supreme Court against the Election Commission's decision,” the statement added.
In July last year, the Nationalist Congress Party, founded in June 1999 by Sharad Pawar, PA Sangma, and Tariq Anwar, after they were expelled from the Congress, got split into two factions following a rebellion by Ajit Pawar, Sharad's nephew.
Subsequently, the national poll body recognised the Ajit group as the ‘real NCP’ and gave it the original party's symbol, the clock, while the Sharad group was allowed to use the name NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar) after the ex-Maharashtra chief minister, and the ‘tutari’ (trumpet) as its symbol.
In the Supreme Court, Sharad Pwar has challenged the recognition of the Ajit faction as the ‘real NCP.'
(With PTI inputs)
