New Delhi | The Ajit Pawar faction is the real Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), the Election Commission announced on Tuesday, in a major setback to party founder Sharad Pawar.
In an order, the Election Commission (EC) also allotted the NCP symbol 'Clock' to the group led by Ajit Pawar.
The decision followed the laid-out tests of maintainability of such a petition which included tests of aims and objectives of party constitution, test of party constitution and tests of majority both organisational and legislative, the commission said.
"We humbly accept the decision given by the Election Commission after listening to the side presented by our lawyers," Ajit Pawar said on 'X'.
The Sharad Pawar faction termed the EC's decision as murder of democracy. "This is the murder of democracy. What happened is unfortunate," Anil Deshmukh, leader of the Sharad Pawar group, said.
"We are clearly doing two things. First, we are going to the Supreme Court in the next 48 hours. Second, the Election Commission has given us an option to give them three names and three symbols by tomorrow evening, so we will of course do that," Sharad Pawar group leader Supriya Sule said.
NCP working president Praful Patel, who is with Ajit Pawar, told PTI, "We express satisfaction that the matter is now resolved. The Election Commission has issued a detailed speaking order. There should not be any problem now."
Ajit Pawar had walked away with a majority of NCP MLAs in July last year and supported the BJP-Shiv Sena government led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde in Maharashtra.
He had submitted the petition with the EC two days before he and eight other MLAs took oath as ministers in the Shinde government.
The EC's decision comes days ahead of the retirement of Election Commissioner Anup Chandra Pandey. Since it is a quasi judicial order, it has to be signed by all the three members of the commission.
"The test of majority in the legislative wing found favour in this circumstance of the case, where both groups have found to be working outside the party constitution and the organisational elections," the poll authority observed.
The EC made a concession to the group led by Sharad Pawar by allowing it a "one-time option" to claim a name for its political outfit and provide three preferences by Wednesday afternoon in view of the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections.
"...this commission holds that the faction led by the petitioner, Sh Ajit Anantrao Pawar, is the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and is entitled to use its name and reserved symbol "clock" of the purposes of the Election Symbols (Reservation and Allotment) Order, 1968," the 140-page order said.
The commission said there were serious inconsistencies in terms of time-lines in the claim of the Sharad Pawar group on organisational majority, which resulted in unreliability of their claim.
It also expressed hope that political parties will adopt good disclosure practices of organisational elections and internal party democracy.
In its order, the EC advised that "perhaps time has come for political parties to consider voluntary wider public disclosures of party constitution, amendments thereof, if any internal electoral steps such as publication of electoral college, dates of elections, time and venue of elections of different tiers, candidates, compliant redressal mechanisms within their organizations, and list of elected office bearers."
"Such disclosures on their websites shall keep the most valuable stakeholder of our electoral democracy, that is the electorate at large duly informed," the commission said.
Mumbai | The Election Commission’s decision to announce the Ajit Pawar faction as the real Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), was taken under pressure, a leader of the Sharad Pawar-led group said on Tuesday.
“This is the murder of democracy. What happened is unfortunate,” former Maharashtra minister Anil Deshmukh said.
The poll panel gave this ruling under “pressure from above,” Deshmukh told a TV channel. He did not elaborate.
The EC ruling proves that majority of party workers and elected representatives are with Ajit Pawar, former Union minister and NCP leader Praful Patel said.
The Election Commission’s ruling on Tuesday ended months of speculation over the factional fight between Ajit Pawar and party founder and his uncle Sharad Pawar.
The Commission also allotted the NCP symbol 'wall clock' to the group led by Ajit Pawar.
The decision followed the laid-out tests of maintainability of such a petition which included tests of aims and objectives of party constitution, test of party constitution and tests of majority both organisational and legislative, the commission said.
“The test of majority in the legislative wing found favour in this circumstance of the case, where both groups have found to be working outside the party constitution and the organisational elections," the poll authority observed.
Mumbai | The Sharad Pawar-led group will move the Supreme Court against the Election Commission's ruling which recognised the Ajit Pawar faction as the real Nationalist Congress Party, senior leader Jayant Patil said.
"We will approach the Supreme Court as it is our last hope. It is our innocent expectation that the SC will stay the decision of the ECI. We have to stand firm behind Sharad Pawar. The party workers need not worry," said Patil, who heads the state unit of NCP (Sharad Pawar) camp.
He said the NCP was founded by Sharad Pawar who developed it from the grassroots and also helped many leaders grow in their political careers.
"The Supreme Court (in the past) had said that even though MLAs shift their loyalty, the party does not follow them. Despite this, the ECI has given a decision based on the elected representatives and their inclination,", he added.
Mumbai | Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister and NCP leader Ajit Pawar on Tuesday said the ECI ruling underlined the priority assigned to the majority in democracy, whereas MP Supriya Sule termed the decision as a victory of "invisible power" and conspiracy against the people of the state.
The Sharad Pawar camp described the ruling as a "murder of democracy" which would be challenged in the Supreme Court.
In a setback to Sharad Pawar, the Election Commission recognised the faction led by his nephew Ajit Pawar as the real Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and also allotted the party's poll symbol 'Clock' to the Ajit Pawar group.
"In a democracy, priority is given to the majority which is why the poll commission has allotted the party name and symbol to us," Ajit Pawar said.
He said 50 MLAs are with us (NCP) besides most of the district presidents in the state and chiefs of the party cells (frontal organisations).
Senior NCP leader Praful Patel said the EC ruling proves that the majority of party workers and elected representatives are with Ajit Pawar.
Sharad Pawar's daughter and NCP MP Supriya Sule said the ECI ruling is the victory of the invisible power.
"This is a huge conspiracy against Maharashtra and Marathi people. However, I am not at all surprised by this decision," she said.
Sule said Sharad Pawar is currently busy in a get-together with some Rajya Sabha members who are retiring.
"BJP leader Prakash Javdekar, who is also retiring, has come to our place. My father is busy with them. I can not tell you everything now. The new names and symbol as asked by the ECI will be submitted tomorrow and then you will come to know about it," she told reporters in New Delhi.
Sule also said Sharad Pawar had contested elections on five different symbols in his political career when there was no social media.
"With the help of this media, we can easily communicate our new name and new symbol to the entire world within a second," she said without elaborating.
Both parties (the NCP and undivided Shiv Sena) were born in Maharashtra and led by Marathi people. This is one more example of how the invisible powers make decisions that would hurt the Marathi people and the state, Sule added.
Sharad Pawar loyalist and former state minister Anil Deshmukh dubbed the decision a "murder of democracy".
"What happened is unfortunate. The poll panel gave this ruling under pressure from above,” Deshmukh told a TV channel.
He referred to the strictures passed by the Supreme Court in the Chandigarh mayoral election.
Maharashtra NCP president (Sharad Pawar group) Jayant Patil said the Supreme Court is the "last hope" for them and they are expecting a stay on the ECI ruling.
He said the NCP was founded by Sharad Pawar who developed it from the grassroots and also helped many leaders grow in their political careers.
Another Sharad Pawar loyalist and former minister Jitendra Awhad said, "Sharad Pawar is our party and the symbol that enjoys the backing of people".
Awhad said Sharad Pawar will rise as a proverbial phoenix bird.
"The ECI exercise was a circus. It was pre-decided who would get the NCP name and symbol," he alleged.
Targeting Ajit Pawar and other MLAs who sided with him, Awhad said he felt sad as those who enjoyed the fruits of Sharad Pawar's efforts to expand the NCP are now trying to "politically strangle" the veteran.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and his deputy from BJP, Devendra Fadnavis, welcomed the poll body's decision.
"The Election Commission has given the verdict based on merit and majority. The majority has an important role in democracy. The ECI has taken a similar decision during our case as well," said Shinde, who heads Shiv Sena.
He said the Shiv Sena, BJP, and NCP led by Ajit Pawar will win more than 45 LS seats in Maharashtra and the assembly elections as well.
" I congratulate the member party of Mahayuti, Ajit Pawar, and his colleagues over the election commission of India's Decision to allot the NCP party name and clock symbol with him (sic)," Fadnavis posted on X handle.
When asked whether Uddhav Thackeray and Sharad Pawar would benefit from sympathy and emotional appeal in upcoming elections, Shinde said, "People vote for those who undertake developmental works. Maharashtra ranks top in infrastructure development. PM Modi and the Centre are firmly standing behind the state government".
In Pune and Baramati, the pocket borough of the Pawars, supporters of Ajit Pawar broke into celebrations by bursting firecrackers and distributing sweets.
"The common people of Baramati feel that since the decision has been made about the party and symbol, all should forget the old things and work together as a party," a local leader said.
Ankush Kakade, a senior NCP leader from Pune and Sharad Pawar supporter said we will work towards taking the new name and party symbol to every household.
