Maharashtra’s Deputy Chief Minister, Ajit Pawar, has reaffirmed his commitment to embracing the final verdict delivered by the Election Commission of India regarding the name and symbol of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP). His statement comes in light of the competing claims submitted by factions led by both himself and his uncle, Sharad Pawar.
Speaking to the press in Pune during his visit to various pandals dedicated to Lord Ganesh, Ajit Pawar made his position clear. This development follows Ajit Pawar’s pivotal move in July, where he led a group of eight MLAs to align with the Shiv Sena-BJP coalition government in Maharashtra. In this context, he asserted that the support of a majority of NCP MLAs was behind him and subsequently staked his claim to the party’s name and symbol with the Election Commission of India.
However, the Sharad Pawar faction contested this move within the electoral body, and the decision is currently pending. When asked about the Sharad Pawar faction’s actions against the MLAs who have joined his group, Ajit Pawar stressed that they had the right to exercise their choices.
“It is the Election Commission (EC) that will ultimately determine the outcome. Both sides have presented their arguments to the ECI, and everyone will state their case on the designated dates. As far as I am concerned, I will honor the final decision of the ECI,” he emphasized.
Responding to questions about his assessment of the potential disqualification of 16 Shiv Sena MLAs by the Maharashtra speaker and the prospects of a change in the chief minister’s office, Ajit Pawar dismissed such speculations as inconsequential.