On Thursday, the Election Commission took the step of assigning a fresh symbol to Sharad Pawar's faction of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP).
In this regard, Sharad Pawar's faction of the NCP has been granted the symbol of "Man Blowing Turha" by the Election Commission. This decision was conveyed through an official statement issued by the Election Commission, specifying that the symbol "Man Blowing Turha" has been allocated to the group or party across all parliamentary constituencies in the state of Maharashtra.
This development follows the allocation of the NCP's symbol 'Wall Clock' to the faction led by Ajit Pawar on February 6, marking a significant setback for the party's founder, Sharad Pawar.
The dispute between the uncle, Sharad Pawar, and nephew, Ajit Pawar, has been ongoing since July 2023, when Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar defected from Sharad Pawar's camp to join the ruling BJP-Shiv Sena coalition government in Maharashtra, resulting in a division within the NCP.
Furthermore, on February 21, the Bombay High Court issued notices to MLAs affiliated with the Sharad Pawar faction of the NCP, along with Maharashtra Speaker Rahul Narwekar, in response to a petition contesting the recent decision regarding disqualification petitions filed by the faction led by Ajit Pawar.
The court has slated the matter for further deliberation on March 14.
Chief whip of the NCP under Ajit Pawar's leadership, Anil Bhaidas Patil, lodged two petitions challenging the Speaker's stance of not disqualifying 10 MLAs aligned with the Sharad Pawar faction. Patil has sought the court's intervention to nullify Speaker Rahul Narwekar's recent decree, alleging legal infirmities, and to disqualify all 10 lawmakers.
