NCP disqualification case: Rival factions exchange documents for verification

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 PTIThe schedule of hearing of the case will be declared after six weeks officials saidToday lawyers from both sides exchanged documents for verification an official said as per the PTIThe NCP Sharadchandra Pawar group led by Sharad Pawar has filed disqualification petition against the Ajit Pawarled 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 PTIFounded by Sharad Pawar the NCP split in July last year after Ajit Pawar and the legislators supporting him joined the Eknath Shindeled Maharashtra governmentThe Election Commission later allotted the party name NCP and symbol clock to the Ajit Pawarled party while the faction led by Sharad Pawar was named NCP Sharadchandra Pawar and his outfits symbol is man blowing tutari traditional trumpetAssembly Speaker Rahul Narvekar also recognised the Ajit Pawar faction as the real NCPMeanwhile earlier in February Maharashtra deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar had said that he accepts with humility the Election Commissions ruling to declare his faction as the real Nationalist Congress Party NCP reported the PTIThe NCP leaders reaction came shortly after the poll panel announced that the Ajit Pawar faction is the real NCPThe Election Commissions ruling ended months of speculation over the factional fight between Ajit Pawar and party founder and his uncle Sharad PawarThe Election Commission also allotted the NCP symbol wall clock to the group led by Ajit PawarThe decision followed the laidout 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 saidThe 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 observedThe Election Commission has officially recognized Ajit Pawars 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 NCPThis 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 Commissions order readAccording to the Election Commission the Ajit Pawar factions 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 Commissionwith PTI inputs