The Supreme Court has ruled that Ajit Pawar's faction can keep the Nationalist Congress Party's (NCP) "clock" symbol, but with a catch - they must add disclaimers to election ads, stating the court's decision is pending.
New Delhi: In a major blow to Sharad Pawar ahead of the Maharashtra assembly elections, the Supreme Court on Wednesday (Oct 24) ruled that Ajit Pawar's faction will retain the Nationalist Congress Party's (NCP) iconic "clock" symbol. However, the court emphasized that Ajit Pawar's faction must 'meticulously' adhere to its previous order, including adding disclaimers to election advertisements to clarify that the court has yet to make a final decision.
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The dispute began when Sharad Pawar's faction challenged the Election Commission's decision to award the party name and symbol to Ajit Pawar's faction. Sharad Pawar's faction argued that both factions should receive new symbols to avoid confusion among voters.
The NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar) approached the court complaining that Ajit Pawar faction violated the order by not adding any disclaimers on the posters and thereby creating confusion among the voters during the Lok Sabha polls.
The court has directed the Ajit Pawar faction to avoid creating an 'embarrassing' situation for themselves.
"Please file a fresh undertaking as well that you will not violate our directions present as well as till the end of elections. We expect both sides to comply our directions. Please don't create an embarrassing (situation) for you," Justice Kant said.
BackgroundAfter being expelled from the Congress, Sharad Pawar founded the NCP in 1999. Ajit Pawar broke away from the party in July last year, citing leadership issues, and joined forces with the BJP-Shiv Sena government led by Eknath Shinde.
The Election Commission subsequently allotted the NCP symbol to Ajit Pawar's faction, while Sharad Pawar's faction was allowed to use the "Man blowing Turha" symbol. The Supreme Court upheld the Election Commission's decision, but prohibited Ajit Pawar's faction from using Sharad Pawar's name and photographs for political gain.
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