NCP's Sharad Pawar.
Credit: PTI Photo
New Delhi: Patriarch of Nationalist Congress Party Sharad Pawar on Friday asked the Supreme Court to urgently consider his plea against the Election Commission's decision to recognise the group led by Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra Ajit Pawar as the real political party.
In view of Assembly sessions next week, Pawar's group of MLAs are likely to face a whip issued by the Ajit Pawar group, senior advocate A M Singhvi mentioned before a bench led by Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud.
The counsel also submitted that the Sharad Pawar group has not been allocated any symbol by the Election Commission.
In a writ petition, Sharad Pawar challenged the poll panel's decision of February 6, recognising the group by Ajit Pawar as the NCP and awarding it the 'clock' party symbol.
The plea has been filed through advocate Abhishek Jebraj.
Ajit Pawar's group has already filed a caveat in the matter.
Following more than 10 hearings spread over more than 6 months, the EC applied the test of legislative majority to let the Ajit Pawar faction exercise control over NCP and symbol, having noted disputed internal organisational elections.
The poll panel also used the “test of aims and objectives of the party constitution”, the “test of the party constitution” to come to its conclusion.
Sharad Pawar is uncle of Ajit Pawar and has founded the NCP.
Ajit Pawar and eight other legislators of the NCP joined Maharashtra’s ruling coalition of Eknath Shinde's Shiv Sena and BJP in July 2023.
On January 29, 2024, the Supreme Court had extended the deadline for Maharashtra Assembly Speaker Rahul Narwekar to decide disqualification petitions filed against Ajit Pawar and others from January 31 to February 15, 2024.