Fadnavis’s remarks indicate Ajit-led NCP may have edge over Sharad Pawar faction in getting party title, symbol
The Election Commission of India will hear the arguments of both sides of the Nationalist Congress Party on Oct 6.
4 min read
Ajit (left) and Sharad Pawar Speculation that the rebel faction of the NCP led by Ajit Pawar will get the party title and symbol has gained credence in the wake of the remarks by Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis in which he pointed out that the “solution” lies in the ECI’s order in the wake of the split in the Shiv Sena.
Speaking at the India Today Conclave on Wednesday, Fadnavis said, “If anybody carefully studies the Election Commission of India (ECI) order on Shiv Sena, they will find the answers. The seeds of the solution lie in the ECI order.” According to Fadnavis, “There is adequate evidence to indicate based on ECI order… to assume Ajit Pawar-led NCP’s case is absolutely strong.”
The deputy chief minister categorically stated that his observations were based on the ECI order and that he was making these statements as a lawyer. The Ajit Pawar-led faction of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) had joined the BJP-Shiv Sena (Shinde faction) coalition government in Maharashtra on July 2 this year.
The split in the NCP had led the Sharad Pawar faction to file a petition seeking the disqualification of Ajit Pawar and eight other party lawmakers who had joined the government. In a counter move, the Ajit faction also filed a plea seeking the disqualification of 10 MLAs affiliated to the faction led by his uncle.
The rebel group has claimed before the Election Commission of India (ECI) that Ajit Pawar was made the NCP chief on June 30, replacing Sharad Pawar. The ECI will hear the arguments of both sides on October 6.
The split in Shiv Sena
Earlier, when the Shiv Sena was split into two groups – led by Uddhav Thackeray and Eknath Shinde – the ECI had handed the original party name of Shiv Sena and its ‘bow and arrow’ symbol to the Shinde group. As a result, the Thackeray faction had to adopt the name Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) with the ‘flaming torch’ as its new symbol.
In May, the Supreme Court entrusted the Speaker with the task of determining the origin Shiv sena party, its chief whip and other related aspects after both sides sought disqualification of each other’s MLAs. The apex court had warned that the matter should be decided within a reasonable time frame. However, the ECI order which handed the party title and symbol to the Shinde faction was based on a “test of majority”.
The ECI order stated, “The decision was based on test of majority as the group of MLAs supporting Eknath Shinde group got nearly 76 per cent of the votes polled for the 55 winning Shiv Sena candidates in the 2019 Assembly polls, while the Uddhav Thackeray faction got only 23.5 per cent of votes.”
Where the NCP stands
In the 2019 Assembly elections, the NCP won 54 seats out of the 288 in Maharashtra. When Ajit joined the BJP-Shinde government, he claimed to have the support of over 36 MLAs. It is based on this claim that the Ajit faction has sought the right to the NCP’s original title and symbol, a demand contested by the Sharad Pawar faction.
NCP working president Supriya Sule then said, “Everybody knows who founded the party. Sharad Pawar, who formed the party, has the rightful claim over the title and symbol.” She also maintained that there was no split in the organisation, but only some differences that led to the formation of two factions.
Amid the growing assertions, the two groups are awaiting the decision of the ECI and Legislative Assembly Speaker Rahul Narwekar on the matter.
Sharad Pawar had been expelled from the Congress party on June 10, 1999 following his reservations over Sonia Gandhi’s foreign origin, following which he formed the NCP with the ‘watch’ as the party symbol.
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