The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Tuesday declared the Ajit Pawar-led faction of the Nationalist Congress Party as the “real” NCP, in a major setback to the party founder and his uncle Sharad Pawar.

The two have been at loggerheads since July 2023 after Ajit Pawar staged a coup and rebelled against his uncle by joining the ruling BJP-Shiv Sena government in Maharashtra, causing a vertical split in the NCP.

Following Ajit Pawar’s rebellion, both factions had staked claim to the party name and symbol before the Election Commission. The poll panel has now ruled in favour of Ajit Pawar’s faction, declaring it as the ‘real’ NCP and allotting the NCP symbol ‘Wall Clock’ to it.

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Reacting to the development, Ajit Pawar said on social media: “We humbly accept the decision given by the Election Commission after listening to the side presented by our lawyers.”

The faction led by Sharad Pawar has been given a one-time concession to choose a new name and symbol for the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections for six seats in Maharashtra. They have been asked to submit their options by Wednesday, 4 pm.

In its final order sent to both sides on Tuesday, the EC said it had relied on the test of majority in the party’s legislative wing to decide the dispute.

According to the order, the total number of MPs, MLAs and MLCs of the NCP was 81, of which 57 had supported Ajit Pawar and 28 had supported Sharad Pawar. But, five MLAs and one Lok Sabha MP had submitted affidavits supporting both sides. Even if these six were excluded, Ajit Pawar’s faction had the majority support, it said, Indian Express reported.

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The poll panel’s decision came after more than 10 hearings by both factions’ legal teams, spread over more than six months. Notably, the Ajit Pawar-led faction’s legal team consisted of Mukul Rohatgi, Neeraj Kaul, Abhikalp Pratap Singh, Shrirang Varma, Devanshi Singh, Aditya Krishna, and Yamini Singh.

Calling it a “conspiracy against Maharashtra”, Sharad Pawar’s daughter and Lok Sabha member, Supriya Sule, said they would approach the Supreme Court.

Reacting to the development, Sule said, “It is the victory of the invisible power. The man who founded the party is facing defeat. We are getting the order which Shiv Sena got from the EC. The same conspiracy was hatched against the Thackeray family. This is a conspiracy against Maharashtra. The decision is not at all shocking to us.”

“We will definitely approach the Supreme Court and challenge the order,” Sule said. She said the organisation stands with Sharad Pawar and, as per the Supreme Court order, only the organisation decides who the party belongs to. “Sharad Pawar raised this party from zero at the age of 60, and he can do it again,” she said.

Also Read: ‘Ajit Pawar our leader, no split in party,’ says Sharad Pawar

“The order proves that all constitutional organisations have lost their autonomy… We believe the Supreme Court will do justice,” said Jayant Patil, Maharashtra president of the Sharad Pawar group.

Welcoming the decision, Ajit Pawar, who is also the Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister, said, “There were certain developments in our party and we had approached the EC to seek justice. Both sides placed their arguments. The majority is vital in a democracy. Finally, the verdict on party name and symbol has come in our favour. The EC has accepted submissions made by our counsel, and we thank the EC. With this, the responsibility upon us has increased.”

The dispute in the NCP came to light on July 2, 2023, when Ajit Pawar, along with eight MLAs, joined the BJP-Shiv Sena government of Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. As per the documents submitted to the EC, Ajit Pawar had signed a letter informing the EC of the split two days before that.