Election Commission Snatched NCP From Its Founders And Gave It To Others: Sharad Pawar

Senior politician Sharad Pawar said that people will not support the Election Commission decision to name Ajit Pawar faction as the real Nationalist Congress Party (NCP)

File photo of NCP chief Sharad Pawar

Source : pti

New Delhi: Former Maharashtra chief minister Sharad Pawar on Sunday called the Election Commission's decision to the Ajit Pawar faction as the real Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) as surprising. He also said that the poll body snatched the party from its founders and handed it over to others. He further added that the programme and ideology are important for the people while a symbol is useful for a limited period.

In a major blow to Sharad Pawar, the EC on February 6 recognised the Ajit Pawar faction as the real NCP and also allotted the party symbol 'clock' to the group led by him

Sharad Pawar asserted that "people will not support the Election Commission ruling against which we have approached the Supreme Court". The former Maharashtra chief minister, who founded the NCP in 1999 after breaking away from Congress, said, "The EC snatched the party from the hands of those who founded and built it and gave it to others; such a thing never happened before in the country", as per PTI.

Pawar, who also served as union minister, recalled that he had contested his first election on the symbol of 'a pair of bullocks'. Pawar stressed that the values and ideology of a party hold greater significance than the symbols it adopts, reported PTI.

Election Commission Maintains Its Stance

The Election Commission (EC) has upheld its decision to recognise the faction led by Ajit Pawar as the authentic NCP, citing tests of maintainability as per the laid-out parameters. These tests include a thorough examination of the aims and objectives outlined in the party constitution, as well as assessments of both organisational and legislative majority.

The poll body has allotted 'Nationalist Congress Party-Sharadchandra Pawar' as the party name for the group led by Sharad Pawar.