The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Friday met two Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) factions – one led by Sharad Pawar and the other by Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar – over claim to the party’s name and poll symbol “clock”, reports PTI, citing officials.
This is the first hearing of the ECI in the dispute. The ECI will meet again on October 9.
NCP supremo Sharad Pawar arrived at the ECI office in Delhi after meeting Congress leaders Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi. The Sharad Pawar faction of NCP is part of the INDIA bloc, a grouping of 28 political parties to take on the BJP-led NDA in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.
Speaking to reporters, Congress leader Abhishek Singhvi, who was representing Sharad Pawar, said, “We appeared (before EC) today, the hearing went for over two hours. The first part of the hearing went for an hour where we said that we are obliged to determine as a threshold issue whether there is a dispute or not.”
Both the factions have filed petitions before the ECI for party’s name and poll symbol after the latter broke ties with the senior Pawar leaving a vertical split in the party.
Crisis in the NCP erupted on June 30, after Ajit Pawar wrote to the ECI seeking recognition of his faction as the “real” NCP under Para 15 of the Election Symbols (Reservation and Allotment) Order, 1968, which refers to the EC’s power to recognise splinter or rival sections of a recognised party.
He later declared himself as the party president with the support of several party legislators and leaders.
Ajit Pawar, who is the nephew of Sharad Pawar, joined the Eknath-Shinde-led government and became the deputy Chief Minister sharing the seat with BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis.
In July, Ajit Pawar had approached the ECI staking claim to the party name and symbol. The ECI has acknowledged that there has been a split in the NCP.
In September, the ECI had told that since both factions were claiming to be the real NCP, the matter required a “substantive determination” under Para 15 of the rules.
Meanwhile, a day earlier, the Sharad Pawar faction held a show of strength in Delhi on Thursday with the the 82-year-old NCP founder expressing confidence of gaining people’s support irrespective of the party’s poll symbol. He also chaired the NCP’s extended working committee meeting.
Sharad Pawar meets Rahul Gandhi, Mallikarjun Kharge
Ahead of going to the ECI’s office, Sharad Pawar on Friday met Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge as well as Rahul Gandhi for about 40 minutes.
The three leaders reportedly discussed the plan forward for the opposition alliance INDIA, which last met in Mumbai on August 31 and September 1.
Pawar posted his pictures of the meeting on X and said, “Paid a courtesy visit to INC President MP Malikarjun Kharge at his residence. MP Rahul Gandhi, NCP MLA Jitendra Awhad and Gurdeep Sappal, INC CWC Member were also present for the meeting.”
