NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Monday adjourned to March 14, Thursday the hearing on the plea filed by the Sharad Pawar-led faction, challenging the decision of the Election Commission of India (ECI) to recognize Ajit Pawar faction as the real NCP.
The two-judge bench of the Supreme Court, headed by Justice Surya Kant and also comprising Justice K V Viswanathan, who was hearing the appeal filed by the Sharad Pawar-led faction, had already issued notice to Ajit Pawar group and sought its reply on the issue.
Sharad Pawar-led faction on Monday February 12, had knocked the doors of the Supreme Court challenging the decision of the ECI to recognize Ajit Pawar faction as the real NCP.
Sharad Pawar-led faction, in its petiton filed before the Supreme Court , challenged the handing over of the clock symbol to Ajit Pawar faction, along with other prayers.
The faction of veteran politician and NCP leader, Sharad Pawar on Friday had also sought an urgent hearing before the Supreme Court challenging the decision of the ECI to recognize Ajit Pawar faction as the real NCP.
The ECI in its order on February 06 ruled Ajit faction is the real NCP and gave clock symbol to it.
The ECI ruled in favour of the faction led by Ajit Pawar in connection with 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 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 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.