In a setback to NCP party founder Sharad Pawar ahead of crucial Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha elections, the Election Commission of India (ECI) has ruled that Ajit Pawar's faction is the real Nationalist Congress Party (NCP). After months of speculation regarding the factional dispute, the Election Commission has finally assigned the NCP symbol 'Wall Clock' to the group led by Ajit Pawar.
"The test of majority in the legislative wing found favour in this circumstance of the case, where both groups have been found to be working outside the party constitution and the organisational elections," the poll panel observed.
“This is the murder of democracy. What happened is unfortunate,” former Maharashtra minister Anil Deshmukh said. Deshmukh told a TV channel that the poll panel gave this ruling under “pressure from above”. Meanwhile Sharad Pawar’s supporters said, 'Our party is Sharad Pawar and our symbol is Sharad Pawar,'.
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“You take away the party from a person who has established it. It is a conspiracy against Marathi people. You first did with Shiv Sena and Uddhav Thackeray…now the same happened and is happening for NCP and Sharad Pawar. He started from zero and established himself…it is injustice to the people of Maharashtra,” said Supriya Sule, who was in New Delhi for the Parliament session.
वेळेने दगा दिला तरी काळ बदलतोच
— NCP (@NCPspeaks) February 6, 2024
दाही दिशा अंधारल्या तरी सूर्य उगवतोच#Yodha #SharadPawar #Maharashtra pic.twitter.com/eZ2M3qEejS
Meanwhile it is believed that the Sharad Pawar faction would announce its outfit’s name and symbol on Wednesday. The group also said that it would also approach the Supreme Court against the poll panel’s decision.
In its directive, the Election Commission instructed the Pawar group to "select a new name" and submit "three preferences" by Wednesday, 4 pm, as the Rajya Sabha elections for six seats from Maharashtra are slated for February 27.
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