People don’t change votes, even if symbol changes: Sharad Pawar

Following the rebellion of his nephew Ajit Pawar on July 2 who has staked claim over the party name and the symbol, the matter will now be heard at the ECI on October 6.

A day prior to that, Sharad Pawar group held the extended working committee meeting in a bid to make a statement. Pawar further added since the start of his political career he has contested on five different election symbols.

“Some people have conspired to change the election symbol. There is no need to worry. People always know which button to push. The situation of the country is changing. The mood is changing. BJP will be kept out of power,” he said.

Addressing the crowd, Pawar narrated how he was elected as the national president of the party at the national convention held at Talkatora stadium in September 2022 where his name was ‘proposed by the same person who is now saying that the process was illegal.’ He did not name Rajya Sabha MP Praful Patel who has now sided with Ajit and has been claiming that the process was illegal.

Pawar also slammed the BJP saying it should change the election symbol now.

“People say that the BJP’s election symbol should now be changed from Lotus to washing machine,” he said, alleging eight of the current nine NCP ministers had come to him before joining hands with the BJP and told him that the BJP had threatened them that unless they join the party, there would be action against them from the agencies.

Earlier, the extended national working committee passed a resolution to “stand together in the face of external political attacks aimed at undermining collective efforts over the years in building a robust party”.

“We recognize that these attacks are driven by vested interests seeking to weaken our party’s escalating progress. We reject any attempts to erode our unity. We understand that our strength lies in our ability to stand united, support one another, and work towards our shared goals,” it said.

The committee reaffirmed that “in accordance with the Constitution & Rules of the Party, a National Convention was held on 10-11 September 2022. During the convention, it was announced that Sharad Pawar, proposed by 90 National Delegates, was re-elected unopposed as the president of the NCP. The actions of a few elected representatives who have defected from the Party and acted against its directives are strongly condemned.”

The party also condemned the “politically motivated arrest of public representatives by investigative agencies and reaffirms its unwavering faith in the leadership of Sharad Pawar and is preparing for future elections in the country under his guidance and vision.”