Give new poll symbol to Ajit Pawar-led NCP too, says Supriya Sule

NCP SP leader Supriya Sule has said they have requested the Supreme Court to treat the two NCP factions equally and just as their party was given a new poll symbol the same should be followed for the rival group led by Ajit Pawar reported news agency PTIThe NCP SP has sought natural justice from the Supreme Court Lok Sabha member Sule told reporters on SaturdayThe move comes ahead of the Maharashtra assembly elections likely to be held in NovemberAjit Pawar along with several other MLAs joined the Shiv SenaBJP government in July 2023 leading to a split in the Nationalist Congress Party NCP founded by his uncle Sharad PawarThe NCP founded by Sharad Pawar had clock as its election symbol before the splitIn February this year the Election Commission allotted the NCP name and the clock symbol to the Ajit Pawarled group reported PTIOn March 19 the top court allowed the Sharad Pawar faction to use Nationalist Congress PartySharadchandra Pawar as its name along with the symbol of man blowing turha a traditional trumpet ahead of the Lok Sabha polls reported PTIIt had passed the order on a plea by the Sharad Pawar group seeking to restrain the Ajit Pawar faction from using the clock symbol for the polls as allotted by the EC on the ground that it was disrupting the level playing field reported PTIThe Sharad Pawarled party moved the Supreme Court on Friday seeking that both factions of the NCP be given new poll symbols The apex court has listed the plea for hearing on September 25Talking to mediapersons here on Saturday Lok Sabha member Sule said Sharad Pawar is the founding member of our party and he takes all decisions The NCP SP has sought natural justice from the Supreme Court reported PTIThe court asked us to use the symbol of man blowing turha until the final decision The same decision should be taken for the other NCP faction There is big confusion about the clock symbol Thus we request the court to take a decision before the upcoming Maharashtra assembly elections Sule said reported PTIThere are two political parties claiming the same symbol and the court has not yet made a judgement hence both the parties should be treated equally said the Baramati MP who is the daughter of Sharad Pawar reported PTIThe top court had earlier observed that the name and photographs of Sharad Pawar cannot be used by the Ajit Pawar faction for political gainsTh Supreme Court on February 19 directed that the Election Commissions order allotting Nationalist Congress PartySharadchandra Pawar as the party name for the Sharad Pawar faction will continue till further ordersOn February 15 state assembly speaker Rahul Narwekar held the faction led by Ajit Pawar was the real NCP and the antidefection provisions in the Constitution cannot be used to stifle internal dissentSharad Pawar founded the NCP with former Lok Sabha speaker P A Sangma and Tariq Anwar in 1999 after their expulsion from the CongressWith inputs from PTI