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In a significant development, the Election Commission of India (ECI) has officially recognized the Ajit Pawar faction as the legitimate Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), granting them the right to utilize the “clock” symbol, which serves as the reserved symbol for the NCP faction.
According to reports from Live Law, the ECI issued an order approving the application submitted by the Ajit Pawar faction under the provisions of the Election Symbols (Reservation and Allotment) Order 1968, permitting them to utilize the official symbol of the NCP.
The decision was based on the test of “legislative majority,” with the ECI noting that the Ajit Pawar faction holds the majority of legislators, comprising 51 out of 81. While other tests such as the “aim and objectives” and “organizational majority” were deemed inconclusive, the test of legislative majority served as the determining factor.
In light of the impending Rajya Sabha elections for six seats from Maharashtra, the ECI has granted the Sharad Pawar faction the opportunity to designate a new name for their political entity exclusively for the purposes of the Rajya Sabha elections. Failure to provide the preferred three names by 4 PM on February 7 will result in the MLAs aligned with Sharad Pawar being treated as independent MLAs.
The schism within the NCP emerged in July of the previous year, following a rift led by Ajit Pawar and Praful Patel, who broke ranks with then-party leader Sharad Pawar to form an alliance with the BJP-Shiv Sena (Eknath Shinde) coalition. In a swift turn of events, Ajit Pawar assumed the role of Deputy Chief Minister in the Maharashtra Government.
Last July, the Ajit Pawar faction approached the ECI seeking recognition and authorization to use the official NCP symbol. Concurrently, the Sharad Pawar faction has lodged petitions with the Maharashtra Speaker, urging the disqualification of Ajit Pawar and his supporting MLAs under the tenth schedule of the Constitution, citing defection from the party.
Initially, the Supreme Court had set a deadline of January 31, 2024, for the Speaker to adjudicate on the disqualification petitions. However, the Supreme Court recently extended the deadline until February 15, providing additional time for the Speaker’s deliberations on the matter.
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