NCP factional war reaches EC

Mumbai/New Delhi: Two days before rebelling against uncle Sharad Pawar to join the Maharashtra government on Sunday, NCP leader Ajit Pawar approached the Election Commission on June 30 staking claim to the party name as well as symbol and subsequently also declared himself as president with support of 40 lawmakers, sources said.

As the factional fight in the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) reached the doorstep of the Election Commission, the Sharad Pawar-led group also filed a caveat through email on July 3 -- a day after the rebellion became public with the swearing-in of Ajit Pawar as Deputy CM and eight other MLAs as ministers in the BJP-Shiv Sena government.

Ajit Pawar said on Wednesday at the NCP meeting that he aspires to be the Chief Minister one day and claimed that he was elected the national president of the party on June 30, two days before the coup. His group has informed the Election Commission that he has been elected national president of the party "through a resolution dated June 30, 2023, signed by an overwhelming majority" of members of the NCP. The 63-year-old also submitted a request to the Election Commission staking claim to the party's name and symbol. "The symbol won't go anywhere," Sharad Pawar hit back.

The Sharad Pawar and Ajit Pawar factions of the Nationalist Congress Party held separate show of strength meetings on Wednesday. While Ajit Pawar claimed the support of over 40 MLAs and MLCs, about 29 MLAs were seen on the stage at the meeting called by him.

The other faction paraded 17 MLAs. The NCP has 53 MLAs in the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly. Earlier, NCP's working president Supriya Sule urged party leaders and workers to turn up at the meet in large numbers and seek guidance from Sharad Pawar on the road ahead.

While Sharad Pawar's NCP is banking on the 83-year-old's experience and popularity, the Ajit Pawar camp, sources said, is asking MLAs to make a "practical decision". While some legislators have arrived at both the venues, those who stayed away from Wednesday's meetings could play a key role when the Election Commission takes a call on the NCP name and symbol. The sources said the poll panel will take action on petitions and cross-petitions "as per extant legal framework". The ECI received Ajit Pawar's petition on June 30 under para 15 of the Election Symbols Order, which deals with claim by splinter groups and rival factions of recognised parties on the party name and symbol, the sources added.

This was followed by 40 affidavits of MPs, MLAs, MLCs dated June 30, received by the ECI on July 5, and an undated resolution "unanimously" electing Ajit Pawar as president of NCP.

While the list submitted by the Ajit Pawar faction comprised MPs, MLAs and MLCs, the actual number of MLAs present at the show of strength at MET College was 32, four short of the two-thirds strength of 36.

The sources said the ECI also received an email dated July 3 from Maharashtra NCP president Jayant R Patil filing a caveat urging the poll panel to hear them (Sharad Pawar group) first before passing any directive in connection with the factional fight. The ECI also received a letter, dated July 3, from Patil informing the panel that disqualification proceeding has been filed with the competent authority against nine MLAs of NCP, including Ajit Pawar. The Election Commission is likely to process applications in the coming days and ask both the sides to exchange the respective documents submitted before it.

Even if Ajit Pawar manages to get 50 out of 53 MLAs, disqualification proceedings can still be initiated as Supreme Court has held that original political party should merge under the 10th schedule and legislative party cannot be independent of a political party. So, the show of strength by Ajit Pawar will not have any impact on the disqualification proceedings.

The NCP, founded by Sharad Pawar in 1999, witnessed a split on Sunday with Ajit Pawar, claiming support of over 40 MLAs and joining the Shiv Sena-BJP coalition government in Maharashtra.

Nine NCP MLAs, including Ajit Pawar, were sworn-in as ministers in the Maharashtra government at a surprise Cabinet expansion on Sunday.