The Sharad Pawar faction of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) has asked its MLAs to attend a meeting at 1 pm at the YB Chavan Centre in south Mumbai on Tuesday, meanwhile, the Ajit Pawar group will gather at the Mumbai Education Trust (MET) premises in suburban Bandra at 11 am.

The rival factions will hold separate meetings in a bid to show the strength of numbers and prove that they have the support of the majority of the party’s MLAs. The NCP has 53 MLAs in the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly.

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Ajit Pawar camp would require the support of at least 36 MLAs to avoid the anti-defection law being imposed on it. His camp contends that 36 MLAs have signed a letter of support. The other camp maintains that apart from the nine MLAs who joined the government, the remaining MLAs remain loyal to the senior Pawar. The meetings will give a clear picture on the exact number of MLAs backing each group amid the contrasting claims.

While the Sharad Pawar-led NCP has issued a whip to all MLAs asking them to remain present for a key meeting in Mumbai, the Ajit Pawar faction issued a notice to all current and former legislators, parliamentarians, office-bearers, working committee members and others, asking them to attend a meeting in Bandra.

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After the meeting, Ajit Pawar camp is planning to approach the Election Commission (EC) to stake claim to the NCP name and symbol. The NCP, led by Sharad Pawar, has already filed a caveat with the poll body that it be heard before any decision is taken.

The NCP split vertically after Ajit Pawar and eight MLAs rebelled against party founder Sharad Pawar and joined the Eknath Shinde-led Maharashtra government on July 2. Ajit Pawar was sworn in as Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister.

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Then a full-blown tussle broke out in the NCP as rival factions went on a sacking spree to tighten their grip over the organisation and sought disqualification of lawmakers in each other’s camps.