Ajit Pawar faction files caveat in Supreme Court, seeks hearing if Sharad Pawar group challenges EC order

Supreme Court/ File pic

The Ajit Pawar side took preemptive legal action on Wednesday, submitting a caveat before the Supreme Court. This step is intended to ensure that they have an opportunity to state their case if the Sharad Pawar group decides to appeal the Election Commission's order recognising Ajit Pawar's faction as the legitimate Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), stated a report in PTI.

According to the report, Advocate Abhikalp Pratap Singh filed the proviso on behalf of the Ajit Pawar camp to prevent any unilateral decisions against them if the opposition party petitions the Supreme Court.

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The Election Commission's ruling, released on Tuesday, certified Ajit Pawar's group as the authentic NCP, dealing a huge loss to party founder Sharad Pawar. In addition, the EC granted Ajit Pawar's group the NCP emblem 'clock', the report added.

According to the report, the EC indicated that its judgement was based on a variety of tests, including a review of the party's constitution, objectives, and organisational and legislative majority, per the established standards for such determinations.

Election Commission order

According to the agency reports, the Election Commission's order on the NCP issue read, "This Commission holds that the faction led by the Petitioner, Sh. Ajit Anantrao Pawar, is the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and is entitled to use its name and reserved symbol "clock" for the purposes of the Election Symbols (Reservation and Allotment) Order, 1968."

The poll commission further said, "Test of legislative majority helped Ajit Pawar faction clinch NCP symbol in view of disputed internal organisational elections."

Meanwhile, the poll body had asked Sharad Pawar's camp to name his new political formation and present a new symbol ahead of the impending Rajya Sabha polls.

Background

On July 3 last year, Ajit Pawar joined the Eknath Shinde-led government and was sworn in as the Deputy CM of Maharashtra. Following his induction, he filed a petition with the Election Commission of India staking claim to the 'symbol' and 'name' of the NCP. He maintained the support of 40 members from Parliament, the legislative assembly, and the legislative council citing a resolution passed on June 30, 2023, appointing him as the president of the Nationalist Congress Party.