What next for Sharad Pawar as Ajit Pawar's NCP files caveat in Supreme Court?
Election commission announced the Ajit Pawar faction is the real NCP, in a major setback to party founder Sharad Pawar.
The Ajit Pawar faction of the Nationalist Congress Party on Wednesday filed a caveat in the Supreme Court seeking a hearing if the Sharad Pawar camp moves before it challenging an Election Commission of India order recognising the party led by the Maharashtra deputy chief minister as the “real NCP”.
Sharad Pawar faction spokesperson Clyde Crasto said it move the Supreme Court against the ECL's decision to give the NCP name, and 'clock' symbol to the Ajit Pawar group.
On Tuesday, the ECI announced that the Ajit Pawar faction is the real NCP, in a major setback to party founder and Ajit's uncle Sharad Pawar.
The decision followed the laid-out tests of maintainability of such a petition which included tests of aims and objectives of the party constitution, test of party constitution and tests of majority both organisational and legislative, the election panel said.
Top points on Sharad Pawar vs Ajit Pawar:
- The caveat has been filed through advocate Abhikalp Pratap Singh to ensure that no ex-parte order is passed against the Ajit Pawar faction if the other group moves the apex court.
- The Sharad Pawar faction will apply for interim allotment of a new name and symbol as directed by the poll panel in its verdict. It will submit three names and election symbols for the upcoming elections for six Rajya Sabha seats. “They have asked us to give three names and symbols (for Rajya Sabha polls). We will submit those by Wednesday,” Supriya Sule, national working president of the Pawar-led group, said.
- A senior leader from the Pawar faction said the party is likely to give priority to the ‘rising sun’ symbol. “All the three symbols will signify the change with time and would be universal in nature,” the leader told HT.
- NDTV, citing sources, reported that they had anticipated the ECI's verdict and had already discussed some names for the party. They said Sharad Pawar may finalise a name which has “nationalist” in it and appeals to the common man.
When Ajit Pawar ditched uncle Pawar
On July 2 last year, Ajit Pawar left the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) and joined the BJP-led NDA camp to become the deputy chief minister for the fifth time.
Ajit Pawar took eight MLAs with him from the Sharad Pawar faction, which is currently in opposition in the Maharashtra legislative assembly, to the Eknath Shinde-led government.
Earlier in 2019, Ajit Pawar had joined hands with BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis and had taken an oath as the deputy chief minister, along with Fadnavis as the chief minister. His rebellion from the party did not last for more than three days at the time and Pawar returned to the NCP fold. Currently, Fadnavis is also a deputy CM in Maharashtra.
After being sworn in as the deputy CM in July, Ajit Pawar removed his uncle, Sharad Pawar, from the post of party president, and wrote to the Election Commission seeking recognition of his faction as the real NCP.
