NEW DELHI: Sharad Pawar-led faction on Monday knocked on the doors of the Supreme Court challenging the decision of the Election Commission of India (ECI) to recognize Ajit Pawar's faction as the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP).
Sharad Pawar-led faction, in its petition filed before the Top court, challenged the handing over of the clock symbol to the Ajit Pawar faction, along with other prayers.
According to sources in the Supreme Court registry and lawyers connected to the case, the plea of the Sharad Pawar-led faction might come up for hearing within a week or two.
In earlier developments in the case, The winning Ajit Pawar faction had already filed a caveat on February 07 in the Supreme Court, anticipating that its losing opponent, his uncle Sharad Pawar faction, might appeal and move against the EC order giving the former control over the name & symbol of the party.
The caveator, Ajit Pawar, in his application filed before the Apex Court, said that the SC should not pass any order without hearing his side.
The Election Commission of India (ECI) in its order on February 6 ruled Ajit faction as 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 a dispute in the NCP.
The ECI order was a major blow to Sharad Pawar and its faction. It is to be noted that the senior NCP leader is one the most influential, 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 the 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 the majority support of the legislators and could lay claim to being NCP.
The NCP was formed in June 1999, by Sharad Pawar, P. A. Sangma (now died), and Tariq Anwar after they were expelled from the Indian National Congress in May 1999, for disputing the right of Italian-born Sonia Gandhi to lead the party.