Supreme Court to Hear NCP Symbol Dispute Between Sharad Pawar and Ajit Pawar on October 1

The Supreme Court of India will hear the dispute over the use of the National Congress Party (NCP) election symbol between the factions led by Sharad Pawar and Ajit Pawar on October 1. A bench of Justices Surya Kant, Dipankar Datta, and Ujjal Bhuyan will preside over the matter.

Sharad Pawar’s counsel mentioned the need for urgent relief due to the upcoming Maharashtra Vidhan Sabha elections and court vacations. The counsel also noted that Ajit Pawar recently referred to Sharad Pawar as ‘his God’ and claimed unity, but alleged non-compliance with a previous court order. They seek a direction for Ajit Pawar’s faction to apply for a new symbol for the elections.

Earlier, the Sharad Pawar group challenged the Election Commission’s February 6 decision to recognize the Ajit Pawar group as the real NCP and allot the ‘clock’ symbol to them. On March 19, the Supreme Court allowed Ajit Pawar’s faction to use the ‘clock’ symbol under certain conditions, including a public declaration that its use is subject to the outcome of the challenge by the Sharad Pawar group. The court also prohibited the use of Sharad Pawar’s name and images in Ajit Pawar’s campaign materials.

The Maharashtra legislative assembly elections will be held in 288 constituencies, with dates yet to be announced by the Election Commission of India. The elections will feature a contest between the Maha Vikas Aghadi coalition, comprising the UBT Shiv Sena, NCP (Sharad Pawar faction), and Congress, and the Maha Yuti Alliance, which includes the BJP, Shiv Sena (Eknath Shinde faction), and NCP (Ajit Pawar faction).