NCP disqualification case: Rival factions exchange documents for verification

Sharad Pawar and Ajit Pawar. File Pic

Lawyers representing two rival factions of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) on Friday exchanged documents for verification in connection with the NCP disqualification case filed by both groups against members of the legislative council (MLCs) from opposite sides, reported the PTI.

The schedule of hearing of the case will be declared after six weeks, officials said.

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"Today, lawyers from both sides exchanged documents for verification," an official said, as per the PTI.

The NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar) group led by Sharad Pawar has filed disqualification petition against the Ajit Pawar-led NCP MLCs Amol Mitkari, Satish Chavan, Aniket Tatkare, Vikram Kale and Ramraje Naik Nimbalkar, while the rival faction has filed similar pleas against NCP (SP) legislators Shashikant Shinde, Arun Lad and Eknath Khadse, according to the PTI.

Founded by Sharad Pawar, the NCP split in July last year after Ajit Pawar and the legislators supporting him joined the Eknath Shinde-led Maharashtra government.

The Election Commission later allotted the party name 'NCP' and symbol 'clock' to the Ajit Pawar-led party, while the faction led by Sharad Pawar was named 'NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar)' and his outfit's symbol is 'man blowing tutari' (traditional trumpet).

Assembly Speaker Rahul Narvekar also recognised the Ajit Pawar faction as the real NCP.

Meanwhile, earlier in February, Maharashtra deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar had said that he 'accepts with humility' the Election Commission's ruling to declare his faction as the real Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), reported the PTI.

The NCP leader's reaction came shortly after the poll panel announced that the Ajit Pawar faction is the real NCP.

The Election Commission's ruling ended months of speculation over the factional fight between Ajit Pawar and party founder and his uncle Sharad Pawar.

The Election Commission also allotted the NCP symbol 'wall clock' to the group led by Ajit Pawar.

The decision followed the laid-out tests of maintainability of such a petition which included tests of aims and objectives of party constitution, test of party constitution and tests of majority both organisational and legislative, the commission said.

"The test of majority in the legislative wing found favour in this circumstance of the case, where both groups have found to be working outside the party constitution and the organisational elections," the poll authority observed.

The Election Commission has officially recognized Ajit Pawar's faction as the real NCP, citing a "test of legislative majority" as a determining factor in the decision. This move comes after disputed internal organizational elections within the NCP.

"This Commission holds that the faction led by the Petitioner, Ajit 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," Election Commission's order read.

According to the Election Commission, the Ajit Pawar faction's ability to demonstrate legislative majority played a crucial role in securing the NCP symbol. "'Test of legislative majority' helped Ajit Pawar faction clinch NCP symbol in view of disputed internal organisational elections," newswire PTI reported quoting Election Commission.

(with PTI inputs)