'Decision was not in accordance with law': Sharad Pawar reacts to loss of party name, symbol to nephew Ajit Pawar

Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) founder Sharad Pawar expressed his dismay on Saturday regarding the decision by the Election Commission of India (ECI) and Maharashtra assembly Speaker Rahul Narwekar to allocate the party's name and symbol to his nephew, Ajit Pawar.

Sharad Pawar noted that it was unprecedented for the founders of a political party to be ousted from the very party they established.

Contending that the decision was in violation of the law, the NCP founder asserted that he had approached the Supreme Court to challenge the ECI's order.

"It has never happened before that those who formed a political party were removed from the party. Not only this, the party symbol was also taken away. This decision was not in accordance with the law. We have approached the Supreme Court in this matter. We will need to increase our public outreach," news agency ANI quoted Sharad Pawar as saying.

On Friday, Sharad Pawar took a swipe at his nephew, expressing indifference to losing the NCP name and symbol. He emphasized that people disapproved of those who chose a divergent path. Addressing a public meeting in Satara, Sharad Pawar stressed that power is transient, while ideology, policies, and the vision to propel the country forward endure.

"But some of our colleagues deviated from this path. Some took away the party, some took away the symbol. I never worry about all this. Some people chose to go on a different path by forsaking ideology but people did not appreciate this move," he said.

In a bid to challenge the Election Commission of India's decision to officially recognize the Ajit Pawar faction as the authentic NCP, Sharad Pawar has urgently sought a hearing before the Supreme Court. The top court is also being urged for an early listing of the plea, as Sharad Pawar contests the legitimacy of the move.

In a recent development, Maharashtra assembly Speaker Rahul Narwekar asserted the legitimacy of the Ajit Pawar-led group as the genuine NCP. This decision came after the emergence of two factions in July 2023 from the Sharad Pawar-led NCP. The Election Commission of India (ECI) subsequently validated Ajit Pawar's faction as the official NCP and assigned the 'clock' symbol to it. The poll body granted a special concession to Sharad Pawar's faction to name its new political formation, considering the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections.

Last year in July, Ajit Pawar, along with eight MLAs, joined the government led by Eknath Shinde. This move resulted in a significant split within the NCP, which was originally founded by Sharad Pawar.

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