NEW DELHI: The Ajit Pawar faction of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) on Wednesday filed a caveat in the Supreme Court seeking a hearing if the Sharad Pawar group moves before it challenging an Election Commission order recognising the party led by the Maharashtra deputy chief minister as the real Nationalist Congress Party.
The caveat has been filed through advocate Abhikalp Pratap Singh to ensure that no ex-parte (done with respect to the interests of one side only) order is passed against the Ajit Pawar faction if the other group moves the top court.
The caveator, Ajit Pawar, in his application also said that the SC should not pass any order without hearing his side.
This comes during the speculations of the Sharad Pawar-led faction approaching the SC challenging the ECI order very soon.
The ECI in its order yesterday ruled Ajit faction is the real NCP (Nationalist Congress Party) and gave a clock symbol to it.
The EC ruled in favour of the faction led by Ajit Pawar in connection with dispute in the NCP. ECI provided a one-time option to claim a name for its new political formation and provide three preferences to the Commission by 3 pm on Wednesday.
The ECI order seemed to be a major blow to Sharad Pawar and its faction. It is to be noted that the senior leader is one the most influential and effective and charismatic leaders of India.
The ECI applied the test of majority in the legislative wing to determine which of the two factions can claim to be the real NCP.
The poll body noted that the total number of NCP MLAs in Maharashtra State assembly stood at 81. Out of this, Ajit Pawar submitted affidavits of 57 MLAs in his support while Sharad Pawar had only 28 affidavits.
In view of this, the commission concluded that the group led by Ajit Pawar enjoyed majority support of the legislators and can lay claim to being NCP.
The NCP was formed on June 1999, by Sharad Pawar, P. A. Sangma (now died), and Tariq Anwar after they were expelled from the Indian National Congress on May 1999, for disputing the right of Italian-born Sonia Gandhi to lead the party.
