symbolic-win-sharad-pawar-s-ncp-faction-secures-man-blowing-turha-for-polls

In a significant development, the Supreme Court on Tuesday granted permission to the Sharad Pawar-led faction of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) to use the name 'Nationalist Congress Party-Sharadchandra Pawar' and the symbol 'man blowing turha' for the upcoming Lok Sabha and Assembly polls in the country.

 

This decision comes after a bench comprising Justices Surya Kant and KV Viswanathan passed an order on a plea filed by the Sharad Pawar group.

 

The plea sought to restrain the Ajit Pawar faction from using the 'clock' symbol for the polls, which had been allotted by the Election Commission. The Sharad Pawar faction argued that the use of the 'clock' symbol was disrupting the level playing field between the two factions.

 

The Nationalist Congress Party, founded by Sharad Pawar, originally had the 'clock' as its election symbol before the split, which now belongs to the Ajit Pawar faction.

 

The bench directed the Election Commission and State Election Commission to recognize the 'Nationalist Congress Party-Sharadchandra Pawar' and its symbol 'man blowing turha'.

 

Furthermore, the Supreme Court instructed the Election Commission not to allot the 'man blowing turha' symbol to any other party or independent candidate. It also mandated the Ajit Pawar-led faction to issue public notices in newspapers in English, Hindi, and Marathi stating that the 'clock' symbol is sub-judice and its use is subject to adjudication.

 

The Ajit Pawar faction has been given four weeks to file its response to the Sharad Pawar group's plea against the February 6 order of the Election Commission, 

which recognized the former as the legitimate Nationalist Congress Party (NCP).

 

In a previous ruling on February 19, the Supreme Court had directed that the Election Commission's order allotting 'Nationalist Congress Party-Sharadchandra Pawar' as the party name for the Sharad Pawar faction would continue until further orders.

 

The decision marks a crucial step in resolving the internal dispute within the NCP and ensures clarity ahead of the upcoming elections.