Just before the Lok Sabha elections, the Election Commission gave a big blow to Sharad Pawar’s group and put it in the hands of NCP’s Ajit Pawar.
Now the name and election symbol of NCP will remain with Ajit Pawar. Sharad Pawar’s faction is divided over the Commission’s decision. Jitendra Awhad said the Election Commission “should be ashamed” of its decision.
He said Ajit Pawar had “politically strangled” his uncle and party founder Sharad Pawar. However, they are talking about going to the Supreme Court against the decision.
Sharad Pawar faction leader Jitendra Awhad told news agency ANI, “This was going to happen. We already knew this.
Today he (Ajit Pawar) has strangulated Sharad Pawar politically. Only Ajit Pawar is behind this. The only one to be embarrassed in this is the Election Commission.
Sharad Pawar is such a person who will rise from the ashes again. We still have strength because we have Sharad Pawar. We will go to the Supreme Court.”
More than 10 hearings in the last 6 months
After more than 10 hearings over the past six months, the Election Commission termed the Ajit Pawar-led faction of the Nationalist Congress Party as the “real” NCP, in a blow to the party founder and his uncle Sharad Pawar. Along with this, ‘Clock’ election symbol was handed over to Ajit Pawar faction of NCP.
It is noteworthy that the factional dispute between the two has been going on since July 2023, when Ajit Pawar had rebelled against his uncle Sharad Pawar and joined the ruling BJP-Shiv Sena government in Maharashtra.
Sharad Pawar group’s reaction
Reacting to the development, Sharad Pawar’s daughter and NCP leader Supriya Sule said, “I feel what happened to Shiv Sena, the same is happening with us today. Therefore, this is not a new order.
“Just the names have been changed but the content is the same.” Jayant Patil, president of the Sharad Pawar-led NCP faction, said the Election Commission’s decision was “shocking”, adding that they would challenge the decision in the Supreme Court.
What are Sharad Pawar’s options?
Jayant Patil said, “We will study this result in detail and then finalize our next step on this. We will challenge this decision in the Supreme Court and we are sure that the Supreme Court of the country will give us justice.”