The Week Ahead will be significant in shaping the political ties among various parties in the nation. Ahead of the united Opposition's meeting in Bengaluru, the AAP has put the ball in Congress's court. Arvind Kejriwal has said that the AAP's participation in the platform would depend on the Congress's stand on the Delhi ordinance issued by the Centre. But the Congress is yet to clarify its stand and doesn't seem to be in the mood to do so before Parliament's monsoon session begins.


The split in the NCP is also a major pain for the Opposition as Ajit Pawar claims to enjoy the support of a majority of MLAs. Although Sharad Pawar remains the president of the "recognised" NCP, Ajit Pawar has approached the Election Commission, staking claim to the party name and symbol. If the EC agrees to allot the same to Pawar junior, it could spell big trouble for Sharad Pawar and, by extension, the united Opposition.


Stay with ABP Live as we try to cut the clutter around the latest news from the political arena and help you understand what is likely to happen in The Week Ahead. Here are the biggest political developments expected to play out this week.


Bengal SEC Orders Repolling For Panchayat Election In Four Districts


Amid bickering between the ruling TMC and the Opposition parties in Bengal, the State Election Commission has ordered repolling in the four districts of Purulia, Birbhum, Jalpaiguri and South 24 Parganas. The panchayat elections in the state ended on a bloody note, with the poll violence claiming at least 18 lives in Bengal. The BJP and Congress-Left alliance claimed that the TMC was instigating violence, while the ruling party accused the Opposition of orchestrating clashes in several areas. The BJP even demanded the imposition of President's Rule in the state.


Meanwhile, Governor CV Ananda Bose will submit a report on the violence to Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday, when the repolling is scheduled to take place at a total of 697 booths across the four districts of West Bengal. After the elections ended on July 8, the BSF claimed that the SEC had failed to provide a list of "sensitive zones", which made the deployment of troops difficult.


Supreme Court To Hear AAP's Plea Against Delhi Ordinance On Monday


The Supreme Court will hear AAP's plea against the institution of the National Capital Civil Services Authority (NCCSA). The NCCSA was formed after the Centre passed an ordinance in May to decide on the transfers and postings of Delhi government bureaucrats.


The AAP vehemently opposed the Centre's ordinance, saying that it violated the Supreme Court's order. Since the centre passed the ordinance, Aam Aadmi Party national convener and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has been visiting states where Opposition parties are in power to seek the support of various leaders against the central government's move. 


Meanwhile, the Delhi Chief Minister postponed a meeting of the NCCSA from July 7 to July 14. 


The issue has also been a major roadblock in building the Opposition's unity against the BJP ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. While the AAP has demanded that the Congress support its stand against the Delhi services ordinance, the Grand Old Party has said that it would take a decision ahead of the monsoon session of Parliament. 


However, Arvind Kejriwal is adamant on getting a reply from the Congress ahead of the July 17 Opposition meeting in Bengaluru. Kejriwal last week said that it had received an invitation from the Congress for the united Opposition's meeting, but the decision to attend would depend on the Congress clarifying its stand on the Centre's ordinance. Kejriwal said that the Congress had promised to denounce the centres ordinance 15 days before the monsoon session of Parliament began. However, with the Parliament session scheduled to begin on July 19,  the Congress is yet to issue a statement on the same


Nationwide Protest Over Rahul Gandhi's Conviction In Defamation Case


The 2019 defamation case against Rahul Gandhi is back in focus, with the Gujarat High Court last week upholding the sessions court's conviction as "just, proper, and legal". A stay on the conviction would have meant the possibility of Rahul Gandhi's reinstatement as a Lok Sabha MP.


In the wake of the latest development, the Congress has decided to hold a nationwide "silent protest" or "maun satyagraha" against the BJP and to show solidarity with Rahul Gandhi. In a statement, Congress general secretary KC Venugopal said: "We believe that the truth, and our commitment for the genuine welfare of every Indian, speaks loud and clear, no matter what tactics the BJP-RSS will deploy against us or our leaders. India will not allow such fascist forces to go on for too long."


The case has been a flashpoint between the BJP and the Congress. After the Gujarat HC's judgment, the BJP took a dig at the Congress, saying that that the party should keep a check on its leader and should "train Rahul Gandhi to speak properly". "It has become a chronic habit of Rahul Gandhi to abuse, defame & almost showering the worst kind of abuses against eminent leaders and organisations," BJP MP Ravi Shankar Prasad said.


The Congress will now appeal against the decision in Supreme Court. The case is crucial for the Congress as the Supreme Court's decision would mean whether Rahul Gandhi can return to the Parliament or not.


It will be interesting to see how the Congress reacts to the AAP's poser now and whether it denounces the Centre's ordinance to get AAP on board. As things stand now, Congress's refusal would mean that AAP would opt out of the platform and fight the 2024 elections on its own. This would mean the Congress essentially getting a little more space on the united platform. However, this would mean that the overall strength of the platform would be hit.


Drama Over NCP Split To Continue 


The drama over the Ajit Pawar-led split in NCP will continue this week as the Sharad Pawar faction decides on whether to approach the Election Commission to prove that the senior leader still controls the party and hence, its name and symbol. Last week, Ajit Pawar staked claim to the National Congress Party name and the poll symbol of the analogue clock.


However, Sharad Pawar has said that anyone may say anything, but it doesn't mean that he would cease to be the NCP president. He said that the party's working committee meeting was held as per the NCP's constitution at his house. The senior Pawar has also decided to not approach the EC at this moment.


Sharad Pawar's claim of the party meeting "as per its" constitution is significant as it is one of the criteria that the EC may take into consideration, as per a 1971 Supreme Court decision, while deciding whom to allot the party symbol, once both the factions approached it. However, it rarely provides a conclusive result. The other criteria to help the EC decide such cases are the adherence to the party aims and objectives by both the factions and the strength of the factions in the organisation and the assembly.


However, the first two are mostly inconclusive and the third is used to take a decision more often than not. Even while allotting the bow and arrow symbol of the Shiv Sena to the Eknath Shinde faction in February this year, the EC had take into consideration the third criterion.


Sharad Pawar's action this week would be significant as it would mean whether the party founded by him would remain with the senior Pawar or not.


Stay tuned to ABP Live as we track the updates on these stories and more.


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