In a significant development that dealt a blow to Sharad Pawar, the Speaker of the Maharashtra Assembly, Rahul Narwekar, declared on Thursday that the faction of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) led by Ajit Pawar is recognized as the genuine political entity.
Speaker Narwekar asserted, "I affirm that the NCP faction under the leadership of Ajit Pawar is the authentic political party. Ajit Pawar commands the legislative majority with 41 MLAs, and this fact remains uncontested."
Currently, the Maharashtra Assembly houses a total of 53 NCP MLAs. While the faction led by Ajit Pawar possesses the majority with 41 MLAs, the NCP faction under the leadership of his uncle, Sharad Pawar, holds the allegiance of 12 MLAs.
The discord between the two leaders has persisted since July 2023, when Ajit Pawar rebelled against Sharad Pawar and aligned with the ruling BJP-Shiv Sena coalition in Maharashtra, resulting in a rift within the NCP.
The contentious issues between the factions revolve primarily around the party's ownership and the potential disqualification of MLAs from the opposing faction under Section 2(1)(A) of the Tenth Schedule.
Earlier in the month, the Election Commission officially recognized the faction led by Ajit Pawar as a legitimate political entity. Consequently, Ajit Pawar secured the party's name and iconic clock symbol.
In light of the Election Commission's decision, the faction led by Sharad Pawar was rebranded as 'Nationalist Congress Party-Sharad Chandra Pawar'.
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