Ajit Pawar faction welcomes EC's 'real NCP' decision; Sharad Pawar faction says 'will move SC"

Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], February 6 : Ending the tussle with his party founder and uncle Sharad Pawar, the Election Commission (EC), on Tuesday declared Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar-led faction as the "real" Nationalist Congress Party.
Hailing the decision by the ECI, Ajit Pawar welcomed it 'humbly'.
"...The matter was before the Election Commission. A separate matter is also before the Assembly Speaker. That matter has also been heard...and we hope that we will have the result soon. I welcome the Election Commission's decision. We accept this decision humbly...We are very happy and we thank them," Pawar said while addressing a press conference here.
Sharad Pawar, a former union minister, is the founder of NCP and uncle of Ajit Pawar.
The Commission has provided the Sharad Pawar faction with an option to claim a name to its new political formation and provide three preferences to the Commission. The concession is to be utilised by 3 pm on February 7, 2024.
The decision was taken after more than 10 hearings spread over more than six months.
The poll panel said that the decision followed the laid-out tests of maintainability of the petition, which included tests of aims and objectives of the party constitution, the test of the party constitution and tests of a majority both organizational and legislative.
On July 2 last year, Ajit Pawar left the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) and joined the BJP-led NDA camp to become the Deputy Chief Minister for the fifth time.
Pawar took eight MLAs with him from the Sharad Pawar faction, which is currently in opposition in the state Legislative Assembly, to the Eknath Shinde-led government.
Earlier in 2019, he had joined hands with BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis and had taken an oath as the state's Deputy Chief Minister, along with Fadnavis as the Chief Minister. His rebellion from the party did not last for more than three days at the time and Pawar returned to the NCP fold. Currently, Fadnavis is also a Deputy Chief Minister in the state.
After being sworn in as the deputy CM in July, Ajit Pawar removed his uncle, Sharad Pawar, from the post of party president, and wrote to the Election Commission seeking recognition of his faction as the real NCP.
Several leaders of the NCP and Shiv Sena have hailed the ruling of the poll body.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde said that the decision to recognize Ajit Pawar-led NCP as a 'real' one was taken on the basis of merit.
"In a democracy, a majority is important. Today, the majority is with Ajit Pawar. So, the Election Commission took this decision on merit. The majority has been proven once again in democracy. This is a merit-based decision. Maha Yuti is working in Maharashtra...My best wishes to Ajit Pawar," he said.
Praful Patel, working president of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) said that the ruling by the poll body has proven their claim correct.
Speaking to ANI, Patel said, "...We welcome the ruling of the Election Commission...We live in a democracy and any decision can be challenged. Maybe attempts will be made to challenge this at the Supreme Court or High Court...All I would like to say is that the decision we made was correct and through EC, our decision has been proven correct."
Maharashtra Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis congratulated Ajit Pawar after the decision by the ECI.
"Deputy Chief Minister Ajitdada Pawar who is a component party in our Grand Alliance has been recognized by the Election Commission as NCP party as well as watch symbol, I heartily congratulate him, all colleagues and workers," he said in a post on X.
The Sharad Pawar camp, however, said that the party will fight against the decision by the poll body.
Supriya Sule, who is the daughter of NCP founder Sharad Pawar, said that UBT (Shiv Sena) had faced a similar decision over the rift in Shiv Sena and there is "adrishya Shakti" in the country doing all this.
"I think what happened with Shiv Sena is what is happening with us today. So, this is not a new order. Just the names have been changed but the content is the same. We will fight...We will definitely go to the Supreme Court," Supriya Sule told reporters.
"Our documents were fine. The founder member and founder leader of this party is only
Sharad Pawar...But now the atmosphere is something else right now. There is an 'adrishya shakti' in the country which is doing all this," she added.
Asked about an alternate name and symbol that has to be submitted by the Sharad Pawar faction to EC, Supriya Sule they will do it tomorrow.
"We will do that tomorrow," she said.
Shiv Sena (UBT) has also opposed the decision of the ECI, saying that Sharad Pawar will go to the Supreme Court to challenge the ruling by the poll commission.
Sharad Pawar faction leader Jitendra Awhad said they will move the Supreme Court. He said the former union minister and Maharashtra Chief Minister Sharad Pawar is a phoenix and he will rise from the ashes.
"This was going to happen. We already knew this. Today he (Ajit Pawar) has choked Sharad Pawar politically. Only Ajit Pawar is behind this. The only one who should be embarrassed in this is the Election Commission," Awhad told reporters.
"Sharad Pawar is a phoenix. He will rise again from the ashes. We still have the power because we have Sharad Pawar. We will go to the Supreme Court," he added.
Sharad Pawar faction spokesperson Clyde Crasto asserted that the NCP rightfully belongs to the party supremo while adding that the ECI ruling was not a "surprise".
Crasto highlighted the party's founding in 1999 under Sharad Pawar's leadership.
"This is not a surprise. Ajit Pawar faction leaders had been continuously saying that they would get the name and the symbol, with date. In 1999, NCP was founded by Sharad Pawar. Everybody knows that the NCP belongs to Sharad Pawar. A few months they claimed the party and the EC gave it to them," Crasto said while speaking to ANI.
He said that clarity on the matter must be sought from the Supreme Court.
"Sharad Pawar is the chief of the NCP which is there in 28 states. 25 out of them backed Sharad Pawar. Now the Supreme Court has to tell what the truth behind all of this is," Crasto said.
Shiv Sena UBT spokesperson Anand Dubey also said that Sharad Pawar will go to the Supreme Court to challenge the poll body decision.
"First the EC said that the Shiv Sena belongs to Eknath Shinde... Now they have said that the NCP belongs to Ajit Pawar... The whole nation knows that NCP was founded by Sharad Pawar in 1999... We already knew this would happen... Sharad Pawar will go to the Supreme Court... The democracy is finished in this country... We have faith in the Supreme Court..." Shiv Sena UBT spokesperson Anand Dubey said.