Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar on Monday said he would accept the "final" decision of the Election Commission of India regarding the NCP's name and poll symbol. As per media reports, the election commission has calls both the NCP faction for hearing on 6 October.
Both factions have claimed the party name and symbol and have also appointed functionaries. Pawar was speaking to in Pune on the sidelines of his visit to various pandals of Lord Ganesh.
Ajit Pawar had led eight MLAs to join the Shiv Sena-BJP government in Maharashtra in July. He had claimed the support of a majority of MLAs of NCP, founded by his uncle Sharad Pawar, and staked claim to the party name and symbol in the ECI. The Sharad Pawar faction had challenged the Ajit Pawar faction's move in the poll body and the decision is pending.
Asked about the Sharad Pawar faction taking action against MLAs who are joining his group, Ajit Pawar said they can exercise their rights. "However, it is the Elections Commission (EC) which makes a final decision. Both sides have gone to the ECI and everyone will put forth their stand on the given dates. As far as I am concerned, I will accept the final decision of the ECI," he said.
When asked about his assessment on the possibility of 16 MLAs (of Shiv Sena) being disqualified by the Maharashtra speaker and the chances of replacing the chief minister, he said all these reports have no meaning. "Such reports have been doing the rounds since the day Eknath Shinde became the chief minister (in June 2022). All these reports are meaningless," Ajit Pawar added as quoted by PTI.
Earlier on 22 September, The Ajit Pawar faction of the NCP had submitted a petition to Maharashtra Assembly Speaker Rahul Narwekar seeking disqualification of 10 MLAs affiliated to party founder Sharad Pawar. The 10 MLAs named in the petition are Jayant Patil, Jitendra Awhad, Rajesh Tope, Rohit Pawar, Anil Deshmukh, Prajakt Tanpure, Balasaheb Patil, Sunil Bhusara, Sandeep Kshirsagar and Suman Patil, said Anil Bhaidas Patil.
Incidentally, the Sharad Pawar faction had already filed disqualification petition against 40 MLAs who allied with Ajit Pawar. The Sharad Pawar group has also submitted disqualification petition against seven of these nine MLAs. The NCP has 53 MLAs in the 288-member Maharashtra Assembly, with legislators like Nawab Malik and Suman Patil maintaining a neutral stance.
(With inputs from ANI, PTI)
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