'Ajit Pawar-Led Faction Is Real NCP': Maharashtra Speaker's Big Decision on Disqualification Pleas

Ajit Pawar with NCP founder Sharad Pawar (Images: PTI)

In a big decision, Maharashtra Assembly Speaker Rahul Narwekar on Thursday delivered his verdict on the disqualification petitions filed by the two NCP factions against each other and announced that “Ajit Pawar’s faction is the real NCP”. The Speaker’s decision was based on the factor of legislative majority.

The Election Commission of India (ECI) recently allotted the party name ‘NCP’ and poll symbol ‘clock’ to the Ajit Pawar-led group. It has also allotted ‘Nationalist Congress Party-Sharadchandra Pawar’ as the party name for the group led by Sharad Pawar.

The development came after the Sharad Pawar faction approached the Supreme Court challenging the Election Commission’s decision to allocate the party name and symbol to the group led by Ajit Pawar. Calling EC’s move ‘unconstitutional’, Pawar in his plea said that having a majority is not the only test under the Symbols Act.