The Supreme Court (SC) on Monday is scheduled to hear the plea of Sharad Pawar challenging an Election Commission order recognising the Ajit Pawar-led faction as the real Nationalist Congress Party (NCP). On February 16, the SC had agreed to urgently list the plea after Sharad Pawar stated that a whip may be issued by the NCP faction led by Ajit Pawar. 

A bench of Justices Surya Kant, Dipankar Datta and KV Viswanathan is likely to hear Sharad Pawar's plea, PTI reported. The veteran leader had sought an urgent hearing of his plea in the wake of twin blows suffered by the faction led by him and the consequential fear of facing action for possible violations of whip by his MLAs.