By Akanksha raj
The Election Commission came to the conclusion that Ajit Pawar’s faction is the authentic Nationalist Congress Party.
Sharad Pawar faced a defeat on Tuesday when the Election Commission officially recognised Ajit Pawar’s group as the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP). The EC’s decision is based on the “test of constitutional majority,” with Ajit Pawar’s group receiving the NCP representation amid internal election conflicts.
“This Commission holds that the division led by the Petitioner, Sh. Ajit Anantrao Pawar, is the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and is permitted to use its name and reserved symbol “clock” for the intention of the Election Symbols (Reservation and Allotment) Order, 1968,” the EC’s order stated.
After more than ten hearings in six months, the poll panel resolved the NCP issue to the advantage of Ajit Pawar’s faction. The Commission has granted a one-time possibility to claim a name for their new organisation and submit three preferences to the Commission, with a deadline of 3 p.m. on February 7.
The legal action, which commenced on July 1 last year between groups led by Sharad Pawar and Ajit Pawar, had strong legal teams from both sides, including Mukul Rohatgi, Neeraj Kishan Kaul, and Maninder Singh for the petitioner and Abhishek Manu Singhvi and Devdatt Kamat for the respondent.
According to the poll panel, the test of majority in the legislative wing was successful in this situation, as both groups have been determined to be operating outside of the party constitution and administrative elections.
The incumbents of the position were primarily deemed to be selected by self-nominated members of the electoral college, which violated internal party democracy.
The panel ruled that the Sharad Pawar group’s claim of having an organisational majority was questionable because of major discrepancies in timeframes.