GG News Bureau
New Delhi, 2nd Oct. The tussle over the “clock” symbol, the official election insignia of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), has reignited as the Sharad Pawar faction has approached the Supreme Court to prevent the Ajit Pawar faction from using the symbol. The matter, which has significant implications ahead of the Maharashtra assembly elections, will be heard by the apex court on October 15.
In its petition, the Sharad Pawar faction argued that the use of the “clock” symbol by the Ajit Pawar group during the Lok Sabha elections earlier this year created confusion among voters. As a result, they have requested the Supreme Court to assign a new election symbol to the Ajit Pawar faction to avoid further voter misdirection.
The battle over the NCP’s identity has been ongoing since July last year, when Ajit Pawar, Sharad Pawar’s nephew, split from the party and allied with the ruling coalition in Maharashtra. Following the split, the Election Commission awarded the NCP name and the “clock” symbol to the Ajit Pawar faction, sparking the ongoing feud. However, before the Lok Sabha elections, the Supreme Court intervened and temporarily barred the Ajit Pawar faction from using the clock symbol, ruling that the emblem was under judicial consideration.
Despite the ruling, the Sharad Pawar faction claims that voter confusion prevailed, which affected election results. Notably, the Sharad Pawar-led group performed significantly better in the Lok Sabha elections, winning eight seats, compared to just one for Ajit Pawar’s faction.
The conflict mirrors a similar split in the Shiv Sena, where the Election Commission also had to allocate symbols between rival factions. In the Lok Sabha elections, voters sided with the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi, a coalition of Congress, the Uddhav Thackeray faction of Shiv Sena, and the Sharad Pawar-led NCP, which won 30 of Maharashtra’s 48 seats. The ruling alliance, including the Ajit Pawar faction, secured only 17 seats, while an independent candidate won one.
The Sharad Pawar faction has been on the offensive ever since, with several leaders returning to his fold after initially siding with Ajit Pawar. The faction has also filed an appeal in the Supreme Court challenging the Election Commission’s decision to recognize the Ajit Pawar faction as the legitimate NCP, a matter that remains under review.
The upcoming assembly elections in Maharashtra are expected to be a litmus test for both factions, as they battle not just for seats, but for control over the party’s identity and legacy. The decision on the “clock” symbol could play a crucial role in shaping the electoral narrative and influencing voter sentiment in the state.
The post Sharad Pawar Faction Takes Battle Over NCP’s “Clock” Symbol to Supreme Court appeared first on Global Governance News- Asia's First Bilingual News portal for Global News and Updates.
